The Plan
by Kayla2
Summary: This is the Jestiny story I promised.  Begins in the fall of 2011.  Features bad boy Jack, bad boy Matthew and good girl Destiny.  It will be a romance  so don't freak out after the first chapter .  Hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Hi all, I'm back. As promised this is the Jack and Destiny story. A couple of things -I changed the order of some events. Matthew confessed to Destiny and only Destiny about the Eddie Ford stuff. She did not tell Dani and Blanca Morales never found out. Matthew and Destiny continued their "relationship" and he did not go into a coma. Neela came to town in the summer of 2011 and did not fall head over heels for Jack. Instead, she was pretty disgusted by his behavior when she learned about the way he tormented Shane. This story will feature Jack as a redeemable bad boy and Matthew as a bad boy as well. I hope you enjoy.

**The Plan- Chapter 1**

Destiny Evans looked at herself in the full-length mirror on her bedroom wall. What she saw pleased her. Maybe she didn't look like all of the girls on the fashion magazine covers, but she was a pretty girl. And, she had a good life. She had good friends like Daniella Rayeburn and Shane Morasco. Not to mention, she was sort of in a relationship with her best friend, Matthew Buchanan.

Lately, it seemed that the relationship with Matthew was more complicated than good. The two had begun sleeping together about four months ago on the night he confessed that he killed Eddie Ford. Even still, he never told her that he wanted her to be his girlfriend and he wasn't very affectionate when they were together in public.

Worst of all, whenever they were alone together there seemed to be only one thing on Matthew's mind: sex. They rarely talked for very long before Matthew made his desires known. Sometimes Destiny would make an excuse and leave and sometimes she would cave to Matthew's wants. When she did, she usually left feeling strangely alone. If something didn't change soon, she and Matthew were going to have to have a serious talk.

A half hour later, she was at Dani's house for a pool party and she was still thinking about things with Matthew. She rang the doorbell and was surprised when Dani's brother, Jack Manning answered the door. Although Jack wasn't her favorite person due to the way he had tormented Shane, Destiny looked up at him and gave him a half smile. She had to look up because Jack was close to six feet tall and she was only a smidgeon over five feet tall. Destiny often wondered what made Jack so angry when he seemingly had everything. In addition to being tall and pretty buff, he was handsome with the thickest, sandy-brown hair she had ever seen.

"Hi Jack."

"Hey." Jack looked at her and admired the way she could fill out a sweater and a pair of jeans. She was definitely cute, but she was a bit self-righteous for his tastes. Plus, she had gone after him pretty hard during the Shane stuff, even if she had remained oddly quiet after learning he was at least partly responsible for Shane's mother, Gigi's death.

"Dani!" He turned and yelled toward the stairs. "Destiny's here."

Destiny remembered when she first met Jack. It was shortly after she met Dani. He was a cute kid with a smart mouth, but he was ultimately pretty sweet. She wondered what changed him. In an effort to encourage the once-sweet boy to return, she decided to offer him a little advice. "Jack, I know what happened to Ms. Morasco was an accident, even if all the stuff with Shane wasn't. School is going to start in a few days and I want you to know that you don't have to be that guy this year. You can be the sweet kid I met a couple years ago."

For a minute, Jack considered telling Destiny where she could shove her words of wisdom, but he respected the fact that she even spoke to him given her relationship with Shane. So, he simply shrugged and mumbled, "Yeah, thanks."

Dani bounced down the stairs and she and Destiny disappeared out back by the pool. For a moment, Jack thought of Destiny's words. A small part of him truly felt guilty about tormenting Shane. He wasn't even sure why he had done it. All he knew was that a little of his own pain, that of being the son of his town's most notorious resident, disappeared when he was going after Shane…until things went too far.

A moment later, the doorbell rang and when he opened the door, every ounce of guilt was erased. In the doorway stood Shane Morasco and his girlfriend, Neela Patel. The problem was that before Neela was Shane's girlfriend, she was Jack's girlfriend. At least, she pretended to be Jack's girlfriend until she coaxed Jack into confessing what he had done to Shane's mother. Shane recorded the confession and they took it to the police. Now, Nora Buchanan had filed charges against him and his stepmother, Tea was doing her best to negotiate a deal to keep him out of prison.

Part of him wanted to lash out at Shane and Neela and he probably would have if Shane's cousin, Matthew Buchanan hadn't walked up. Matthew was a spoiled rich kid who had just as much attitude as he did.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Matthew stared at him. "Shouldn't you be at your own house?"

Jack assumed Matthew was referring to his mother's house, instead of his dad and his stepmother's house. Jack didn't like Matthew. Matthew dated his sister, Dani, briefly and he had announced to the whole basketball team that Dani had asked him to have sex. She'd cried about it for more than a couple hourS when she got home. Matthew had a lot of nerve walking into his house and suggesting Jack somehow didn't belong. "Let me explain something to you Buchanan. I have divorced parents, which means I have more than one residence. The big question is why are you here?"

"I invited him," Dani called out from behind him as Destiny looked on. "I invited both of them."

Dani walked around him and took Shane and Neela by the hand. Destiny took Matthew by the hand as he continued to stare at Jack . Matthew, Destiny, Shane and Neela followed her to the pool. Destiny continued to glance back at Jack who wore a scowl on his face.

After seeing the way that Jack looked at Shane and Neela, Destiny was worried. "Dani, are you sure it was a good idea for Jack and Shane to be here at the same time?"

"Yes," Dani sighed. "Jack has to learn how to get along with Shane. The best place for him to do that is here where we can keep an eye on him."

"We?" Destiny frowned. Destiny couldn't disagree with Dani's reasoning, but it didn't stop her from worrying. The last thing she wanted was a major confrontation with Jack at what was supposed to be a fun party. She continued to worry until she saw Matthew's eyes nearly popping out at the sight of Giselle-look-a-like, Taylor Benson, in a teeny tiny bikini.

"I'm going to get us some punch." Matthew announced before heading in Taylor's direction.

Destiny felt a burning in the pit of her stomach as Matthew walked toward Taylor and she hated it. Based on previous experience, Destiny knew Taylor was exactly Matthew's type. Still, she was a little surprised that the fact that she and he now had an intimate connection brought her no comfort. However, she vowed that she would never be the kind of girl who jealously chased behind her man. So, she decided to shift her attention to the other side of the pool where Jack was now standing with his friend Chase Madigan…a boy with even fewer redeeming qualities than Jack.

Chase Madigan was the quarterback of the football team and Jack's new wingman. He'd risen in popularity when Llanview High's previous quarterback transferred to Peterson, their rival high school. Chase had a terrible mean streak and a flair for drama. He liked causing trouble and he didn't waste anytime starting trouble that afternoon.

After eyeing Shane and Neela, he yelled to Jack, "I can't believe you let Morasco walk into your house with your ex-girlfriend. The same girl who sold you out."

Jack walked over to where Chase stood and spoke quietly, "I don't have much choice. My stepmother says I have to be on my best behavior for the next few months." Tea had actually commanded him to stay out of trouble until she could work out a plea agreement of some sort.

"Sucks."

Jack was only half paying attention to Chase because he noticed that Destiny was looking in his direction and her mood had become somewhat solemn. When she noticed him looking back, she looked away and began looking in the direction of Matthew and some blonde girl. It was then that he noticed Shane walk to Destiny's side and give her a hug, which really annoyed him. He turned his attention to Chase.

"What did you say?"

"I said, "It sucks that Morasco gets to be at your house with your ex-girlfriend. Too bad he doesn't have an ex you can start dating.""

Once more, Jack glanced at Shane and Destiny who were now joined by Neela. Maybe he could get payback on Shane and shut that punk Buchanan up at the same time. "Actually Chase, I may know just the girl to use to get Shane back."

"Really? Who?"

Jack smiled like the cat that ate the canary. "How about his best friend in the world, Destiny Evans?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi all. Things are moving along at the pool party. Just a note: There are not two Todds. They have both either been played by Roger Howarth or Trevor St. John._

**The Plan – Chapter 2**

Jack continued to watch Destiny as she watched Matthew chatting it up with Taylor. Shane and Neela had disappeared and she was alone. This was the perfect time for him to have full access. He then turned to see that Chase was staring at him with disbelief. When Chase hadn't stopped in over a minute, Jack asked, "What?"

Chase shrugged, "For a second I thought you said you were going to get with Destiny."

"I did."

Chase broke into uncontrollable laughter.

Jack was annoyed. "What?"

"Dude, she totally hates you."

Chase hadn't heard what Destiny said to him earlier. "She doesn't hate me," Jack added with a smirk.

"She was the one who ratted you out about what you and Brad did to Morasco in the gym last year."

"That was last year."

Chase folded his arms. "Well, she was also totally into Matthew. And by the looks of things, that hasn't changed."

"Betcha I can make it change."

Jack had known how to work people from the time he was a kid. He'd learned from the best: his dad.

"Bet you can't," Chase egged him on. "I'm so sure you can't that if you can, I'll bet you my guitar."

"The one signed by Adam Levine?" Jack watched as Chase nodded and then said, "Deal. You're going to be sorry. "

Chase thought for a minute. "What do I get if you can't get Destiny to be with you?"

"What do you want?"

"You get to be the waterboy for the football team for the whole season."

"What? That would be humiliating…and I won't be able to try out for basketball."

"Sounds like you're not so sure you can do it anymore."

"Whatever. I can't wait to play my guitar for my girlfriend, Destiny, after the basketball games."

Chase shook his head, "Your "girlfriend, Destiny." Dude, that still sounds totally weird."

"Yeah, you better get used to it. Watch and learn." Jack began to walk the edges of the pool to get to where Destiny was standing. Before he could reach her, she began to walk to where Matthew was standing, still talking to Taylor.

Destiny hated that she allowed jealousy to move her feet to where Matthew was standing. But something about the way Matthew was looking at Taylor got to her at the deepest level. Taylor looked like every girl Matthew picked over her in the past. And now, after everything they were to each other, it hurt to think he might be doing it again.

"Matthew," she called his name softly when she reached him. "Should I change into my bathing suit, so we can go swimming?"

He turned in her direction, still not facing her fully. "Yeah, sure. I'll be there in a minute."

Destiny felt her blood begin to boil. So, she reached past Matthew and extended her hand to Taylor. "Hi, I'm Destiny. I think I had you in Spanish last year."

"Oh, yeah. Senor Kowalski's class." Taylor responded with a nod and a smile.

Destiny thought for a moment that this girl seemed nice enough. Maybe she just didn't know that she and Matthew were sort of together. "How do you know my boy-?"

Matthew answered before Destiny could finish her sentence. "Taylor and I had Calc together last year." He then faced Taylor. "Destiny is my best friend."

"Oh, that's so cool."

"Yeah, it's real cool." Destiny snarked. Her annoyance wasn't with Taylor, but instead with Matthew. She couldn't believe he pulled the friend card, again and after they had been sleeping together for nearly four months. She turned to leave. She began walking so quickly that she didn't see Jack Manning before she ran into him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see…"

Jack saw tears on the brims of her eyelids. She was typically so strong and fearless. Something about seeing her this way jarred Jack a little. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Destiny snapped. She then attempted to move past him, but was shocked when he stepped in her way.

"You don't seem fine."

She tried to move past him again, only to have him step in her way. She looked back to see Matthew, safely out of earshot, still chatting it up with Taylor. "Look, I just really want to get out of here."

"No, what you really want is Matthew to stop talking to Taylor. I can help you with that."

Jack's bluntness jarred her. It also ticked her off. "Why do you care what I want?"

"Well, you told me I didn't have to be a jerk this year. I appreciated that you even talked to me; you're the only one of Shane's friend's that has." Now was the time for him to show Destiny how he had changed...so, he lied. "I was looking for Shane. I wanted to apologize about his mom again. I was going to earlier, but Matthew interrupted."

Destiny looked Jack over. She had her doubts about his sincerity, but it would be hypocritical for her to tell him to change and not believe him when he tried to. "I think he's in the house."

Jack turned to leave. There was no way he was going to humble himself in front of Shane and that traitor Neela without an audience; he turned back to Destiny. "Do you want to come with me?"

Once more she looked back at Matthew and Taylor. "Yeah. It will keep you honest. Besides, I think I want to get out of the sun for a while."

Jack and Destiny walked the long path to the house remaining mostly silent. Once inside, there was no sign of Shane or Neela. They ended their search in the kitchen.

"That was a waste." Jack looked around the empty kitchen; even the staff was out in the pool area. "But I know what can make our trip worthwhile."

"What's that?"

"One of my famous ice cream smoothies."

While an ice cream smoothie sounded great, Destiny still couldn't get Matthew and Taylor off of her mind. "Sounds fattening…and I should really get back before my friends get worried."

Despite her words Jack started gathering items out of the fridge. "What do you care about fattening? You look great." Although Jack had never mentioned it to a sole, he'd checked Destiny out on more than one occasion. He thought her braids were kind of sexy because she was the only person he knew who had them. "Besides, maybe it would be good if Matthew had to look for you every once in a while."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Forget it." He began to pile the fruit into the blender.

"No, tell me."

Something told Jack that Destiny would appreciate honesty. So, he was about to give it to her straight. It was a calculated risk, but he was willing to take it. "Well, it irritates me that everyone in the school has to watch you follow Matthew around like a lovesick little…"

Destiny cut him off. "You don't know a thing about Matthew and me or what we mean to each other." She would have continued on, but Jack chose that moment to start the blender. Part of her wanted to throw one of the glasses he'd sat out on the counter at his head.

A minute later, he stopped the blender. "Are you done? Cause the truth is that guys like the chase. The reason Matthew pulls crap like he did outside with Taylor is because he knows you'll always be around."

"I don't have to listen to this."

"No, you don't." He extended a glass of his version of a Dreamsicle smoothie, which she didn't take. So, he set it on the counter. "But here's the deal. You're cute. Too cute to have some jerk ignore you. He does it because you let him, not because he's not interested. If you played your cards right, you could have Matthew wrapped around your finger."

"How?" Destiny demanded maybe a little too eagerly. "Not that I think you have a clue what you're talking about.

"Don't be so available. The whole school saw how possessive he was when you were with Darren. Don't let him think you're going to be around no matter how he treats you." He finished by taking a long sip of his smoothie. "This is really good. You should probably drink yours before it melts…you know you want it."

"Fine." She grabbed the glass. The orange, creamy smoothie tasted even better than it looked. There was no way she was leaving until she drank every single drop. She perched herself on one of the stools next to the kitchen island. "Since we're playing truth or dare, it's your turn."

"What do you want to know?"

"Why did you hate Shane so much?"

Ouch. Destiny certainly knew how to cut right to the core of things. "I don't know."

"I don't believe you."

"So what." Jack was beginning to think his plan was not such a great idea. Destiny was different than most of the girls he knew.

"So, if you're going to get all up in my business, the least you can do is give me an honest answer about yourself."

He sighed and diverted his eyes. "I guess I hated that he was such a wimp."

"But why him, Jack? There were other so-called wimpy kids that hadn't been through what Shane had gone through with the cancer and you didn't pick on them. Why Shane?"

"Why not Shane?" Jack snapped back. Destiny touched a nerve. "Everybody loves that kid. He has the two perfect parents who love him and love each other more. The first time I even called that kid a name, he had six people telling him it was okay. No body did that for me when I was in fifth grade and kids called me "Rapey" or when the teachers waited for me to prove I was just like my dad." He grew silent from the turn of the conversation. Somehow, she'd made him reveal more than he'd intended, including the fact that he might not be completely over his Shane issues.

Destiny was stunned into silence. She'd never thought about the pain that must come with being one of Todd Manning's children. Dani had been mostly shielded from it because she was raised a Rayburn. Though Jack's rant made her wonder how much Jack had really moved on from his jealousy of Shane, she was wounded by Jack's pain. She reached out and touched his hand.

The gesture surprised Jack. A chill ran up his spine and he quickly removed his hand from beneath Destiny's. He cleared his throat. "Enough therapy. Do you play Temple Run?"

"Better than you, I'm sure."

Wow, Jack thought to himself, she had moxy. "Care to prove it?"

"Bring it on."

They walked into the living room still carrying their smoothies. As they entered from the kitchen, Matthew was entering from the outside.

"Destiny, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

Right, Destiny thought to herself. Where was he checking for her on Taylor's bikini? Still, she marveled at the fact that Jack had been right about letting Matthew look for her. She glanced at him for a second and then said, "Jack and I are about to play Temple Run."

"You're not serious. You're actually going to play video games with Jack?

"Yeah, what's the big deal? Jack and I are friends like you and I are friends."

"Now we're just friends?"

Matthew's irritation was visible. Jack almost burst out laughing. Matthew irritated him almost as much as Shane. This plan would have more benefits than he anticipated.

"No, we've been just friends for about the last 30 minutes." Destiny replied, coolly.

"I didn't say you were only my best friend. I'm sorry if it came out wrong. I thought you wanted to go swimming."

Jack looked at Matthew and decided swimming was a great idea. With the amount of hours Jack spent in the gym, he relished the chance for Destiny to compare his body to Matthew's. "Destiny, you wanted to go swimming? Why didn't you say so? We can play Temple Run later or the next time you come over."

"Are you sure?" Destiny asked.

"Yeah, besides, I think I could use a swim myself."

"Seriously? You're going to follow Destiny all over now?"

"Matthew…" Destiny touched his arm. "Let's just go to the pool." She gave him a gentle push toward the patio door. On their way out, Destiny turned to Jack and mouthed the words, "thanks."

Jack smiled at her. Round one had gone better than he anticipated. Now, he was ready to move to Round two.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi all, sorry about the delay. Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews. I had a little trouble figuring out where to go with this one, then it came to me. So, here you go. Hope you enjoy. _

**The Plan – Chapter 3**

Jack changed into his swim trunks, opted to forgo a t-shirt, checked his hair and prepared to walk down to the pool. He couldn't wait until Destiny caught an eyeful of his six-pack that was most certainly superior to Matthew's. His hand was on the doorknob when he heard a small familiar voice: his little brother, Sam.

"Where are you going?"

"To the pool." Sam was a cute, six year-old kid and just what he needed to show his softer side. "Wanna come?"

"Yeah, can I?"

"Sure." He couldn't wait to see Destiny's face when she saw him looking buff and holding Sam. He knew he'd already begun to drive a wedge between her and Matthew and he hoped to widen it.

Destiny and Matthew walked to the cabanas to change into their swimsuits. Destiny ignored Matthew's questions about why she was hanging out away from the party with Jack Manning. She ignored him partially because she knew it irritated him as much as his drooling all over Taylor bugged her. Part of her just didn't want to argue.

Finally, Destiny stopped in her tracks. She put her hand up, which had the effect of silencing Matthew. "I don't want to talk about this here. If we talk about this now, we're going to get into an argument, which I don't want to do here. This is the last party before school starts and I just want to have a good time. "

"Fine."

Destiny stopped abruptly in her tracks as she realized Matthew followed her to the dressing room on the right side of the cabana. She placed her hands on her hips. "Where do you think you're going?"

"There's no reason we should take up two dressing rooms when we can share one."

"Uh, that's so not happening."

Destiny was suddenly very annoyed that Jack was right about Matthew feeling like she would always be there for him. He had been totally disrespectful to her when fawning all over Taylor. Then they were fighting about Jack. All that and he still had the nerve to think she was going to mess around with him in her friend's cabana.

"Seriously?" Matthew raised his eyebrow in an expression of surprise. "Are you afraid Jack is going to find us together and get mad?"

With the roll of her eyes and a loud sigh, Destiny prepared to let Matthew have it. "I already told you. Jack is a friend. He is my best friend's little brother. We used to play video games when he was in eighth grade. He's a kid, Matthew, which is what you're acting like. You were the one who was falling all over Taylor."

"So, what, because we are together, I'm supposed to be blind?"

"Together? When did we get together? Because I'm pretty sure that you said just about an hour ago that we were just friends."

"Fine. You want to be alone. Be alone. " Matthew yelled before storming off.

Destiny slammed the dressing room door. Matthew could make her so angry at times, but she loved him. Sometimes she wished she didn't, but she couldn't help herself. She reached into her bag and pulled out her red and black, halter two-piece tankini with boy shorts. When she first bought it, she'd been excited that Matthew would see her in it at the party. Now, she didn't even want to bother changing into it. Still, she was determined that she was going to have a good time.

Jack looked around casually for Destiny and/or Matthew as he carried Sam on his shoulders. There was no sight of either of them at the pool. When he arrived at the pool, he placed Sam on a chair. He turned away from Sam just in time to see Destiny leaving the cabana. She looked amazing. She had curves for days. He probably would have continued to stare had he not felt a slight tug on his trunks.

"Jack, you're staring." Then he smiled slyly. "You like Destiny! I think she's pretty, too."

"What?" He was amazed at his little brother's powers of perception. Still, he couldn't let him think he was right. The kid would tell his mom, who would tell his dad, who would tell his stepmother and somehow Dani would find out. And she would tell Destiny. That could ruin his entire plan. "That's crazy."

"Jack and Destiny sitting in a tree." Sam began singing.

Jack turned to face his baby brother. "Shut up, Sam or I'm going to drop you head first into the pool."

"Oh my gosh, Jack, what did you just say?" Jack immediately recognized Destiny's voice.

"Ha, ha," Sam giggled, "you're in trouble now!"

Jack thought of a hundred explanations until he turned around and saw the close-up version Destiny in her bathing suit. He suddenly lost track of what he'd said to Sam in the minutes before.

"I, uh…you look good," he stumbled over his words.

"Thank you." The compliment made her slightly uncomfortable; what made her more uncomfortable was that she was trying to convince herself not to take a second glance at Jack's six-pack. Though she hated to admit it, she was glad to have Jack, and now Sam as a distraction after her latest argument with Matthew. She needed to focus her attention away from Jack's body. So, she focused her attention on Sam. "What could someone as adorable as Sam have done to make you threaten to throw him in the pool head first?"

Sam piped up. "Nothing, I only told the truth. I said-"

Jack cut him off. "I warned you, Sam."

Jack took a step in Sam's direction. He was surprised when Destiny stepped in his way. "Oh no you don't. I'm not going to let you punish my friend Sam for trying to tell the truth."

"Oh really?" Jack chuckled. "Then maybe you should get what's coming to Sam." Jack quickly slipped his arm around her waist, lifted her a couple of inches off the ground and closer to the water.

Destiny felt her heart race in a way that it hadn't in a very long time. She couldn't help giggling as she squirmed beneath his arm. Part of her was amazed that he was so strong.

"Give in?" he asked as he inched nearer to the water.

"No," she laughed.

Their fun soon came to an end at the sound of Shane's voice. "Hey, knock it off. What are you doing to Destiny?"

"Yeah Jack, leave her alone." Neela chimed in.

Jack lowered Destiny to her feet. He remained silent; she felt the need to explain.

"Calm down guys. Jack was just teasing Sam and me."

"Yes, Destiny saved me from the pool." Sam said in the most adorable voice.

"I didn't realize you and Jack were friends." Shane wore a hurt look on his face; inwardly, Jack was delighted.

"Shane," Destiny touched his arm. "Jack and Sam, are Dani's younger brothers."

Though Jack couldn't explain it, Destiny referring to him as "Dani's younger brother" hit a nerve. If she didn't see him as more than that after the display of his strength, he wasn't sure what would do it. Then he had an idea.

Jack cleared his throat. "Shane, Neela, I'm glad you're here. I was looking for you earlier. Shane, I wanted to apologize again for your mom. And Neela, I wanted to tell you I don't have any hard feelings. You did what you had to do. Shane deserved the truth."

"Yeah, whatever." Shane shrugged it off. Neela simply smiled and nodded. They took a few steps ahead before Shane asked Destiny if she was coming.

"Just a sec," she called out to Shane. She turned back to Jack. "I should go."

"Yeah," he said softly. His eyes reviewed her curves once more.

"But that was really nice. Thank you for making nice with Shane and Neela." She knelt down to see eye to eye with Sam. "Sam, keep an eye on your big brother, okay?"

"Will do, Destiny. " He paused for a second. "Hey Destiny, are you going to have a sleepover with Dani soon? 'Cause if you do, I'm going to ask my mom if I can sleep over too. You're fun."

"That sounds like a great idea, Sam." Destiny hopped to her feet. "See you guys later."

Jack watched Destiny walk away until he felt Sam pull at his trunks. A sleepover. His little brother was a genius. He would have full access to Destiny without Matthew getting in the way. But he knew that even though Sam looked sweet, there would be a price to pay.

"Okay, kid what do you want?"

"Half your allowance and you do my chores at dad's house."

"That's highway robbery. I'll give you 10 bucks."

"Okay." Sam scampered off.

Jack smiled as he saw Destiny at the other end of the pool. She smiled back. Shane caught her smile.

"Des, tell me you aren't buying Manning's act. He's probably planning some way to torture you because Ms. Delgado told him not to mess with me."

Destiny pondered Shane's words. She'd known Jack since he was 13. They'd never had any problems before, but she was the one who turned him in for terrorizing Shane the previous year. So, it might be a good idea if she was cautious. Still, she didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm going to get some punch."

Destiny took off before Shane and Neela could say another word. While she poured herself a glass of Ms. Delagdo's alcohol-free sangria, Taylor joined her.

"Hey there."

"Hi Taylor." Destiny really wasn't in the mood to make small talk with the girl Matthew couldn't stop staring at, but she knew Taylor hadn't done anything wrong. "Are you having fun?"

"Totally." She touched Destiny's arm as if she had a sudden thought. "Oh my gosh, you and your boyfriend are so adorable."

The word boyfriend caught Destiny off-guard. "Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I didn't know you were dating Jack Manning until I saw you guys together over there. He usually walks around like he is too cool, but he was actually laughing with you. Honestly I was relieved. At first, I thought you had something with Matthew and you were irritated because the two of us were talking. I'm so glad that wasn't the case."

Destiny took a deep breath. Her first thought was that Taylor talked a lot. Her next thought was that although Taylor seemed nice, she was seriously mistaken. "Wait Taylor, I was just goofing around with Jack and Sam. Jack Manning is not my boyfriend."

"He sure isn't," Destiny was surprised by Matthew's voice. "I'm Destiny's boyfriend."

Matthew pulled a single long-stemmed rose from behind his back. And handed it to Destiny. Taylor mumbled something about going to find Dani.

"Hey Des, I'm sorry we argued. I've been a jerk ever since everything happened with Eddie last December. I shouldn't take it out you, especially since you are the only person I can trust. Forgive me?"

Destiny nodded. Then Matthew surprised her by leaning in to kiss her.

Jack watched from the other side of the pool as Matthew and Destiny kissed. Perhaps, he was underestimating the competition he had in Matthew. Still, his dad taught him he shouldn't give up when it came to getting his own way. And he had no intention of starting to give up now.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi all, thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Sorry this one took so long. I had a hard time trying to figure out where I wanted to go with this chapter. (What you are reading is version three or four.) Anyhow, this one is mostly set-up. It's a little Dani heavy, but she's pimping Destiny, so it's okay. I hope you enjoy.

**The Plan- Chapter 4**

The morning after the pool party, Jack left his bedroom to scavenge the kitchen for something to eat. He felt pretty pleased with himself. His plan to steal Destiny from Matthew…and Shane could work, even if Matthew and Destiny were suddenly official. There was something between him and Destiny, though he wasn't quite sure what to call it.

"Freeze, Jack Manning!"

Jack jumped at the sound of his sister Dani's voice echoing from behind him. He turned slowly. "What is your problem?"

"You!"

"What did I do? I just woke up."

"It's not what you did today. It's what you did yesterday."

"What are you talking about?"

Dani placed her hands on her hips. "As if you don't know. You were hitting on my best friend!" Dani thought for a minute before she made a face. "Do you know how gross that is?"

Jack smirked. "That's not a nice thing to say about your best friend."

Dani rolled her eyes. "Not Destiny. She's great. You are the problem. Seriously, Jack do you expect me to believe that after three years, you suddenly wake up one morning and have a thing for my best friend?"

"No." He stared at her. The truth was he'd thought Destiny was cute since the first sleepover she had with Dani. He caught a peek of her in her sleep shirt that looked like a guy's t-shirt. He noticed that like her face, her legs were smooth and flawless. Still, he wasn't going to share any of that with his sister. If this plan of his failed, that was a detail he didn't want to get out. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Destiny and I just hung out a little bit yesterday until her jerk boyfriend got his head out of his butt."

"You're up to something. You better not be trying to hurt Destiny."

"I'm not going to hurt Destiny." He meant it. She seemed like she might make a decent girlfriend, certainly better than Matthew Buchanan deserved and there was no reason she would ever have to know about the bet he had with Chase. He couldn't really imagine she would want to hang out with Chase; most of the time he didn't like the guy. No, Jack planned to have it all, Destiny, revenge on Shane and Matthew and Chase's guitar. It could all work as long as Dani didn't ruin it.

Jack continued his walk into the kitchen. Dani remained on his heels. The elation he felt when he awoke, faded when he saw both his dad and his stepmother in the kitchen. Suddenly, he felt his "love life" was about to become a topic of discussion. He couldn't think of a worse development.

"Mom," Dani headed straight for Tea. "You need to tell Jack to stop causing trouble."

"Jack." Tea stared at him. She knew he was trying to read him. "We talked about this. You can't get in trouble with these Gigi's case hanging over your head."

Looking helplessly toward his dad, he threw his hands in the air. "I didn't do anything!"

"He was hitting on my best friend!" Dani yelled.

At Dani's revelation, Tea's eyes widened. Todd burst into a full laugh.

"Evans?" Todd asked when he finally stopped laughing. "You were hitting on Evans? I see you like them tough like Tea and your mom. Evans will chew you up and spit you out."

"You believe I was hitting on Destiny just because Dani says so?"

"No, I believe it because I used to bust you trying to look through your sister's keyhole whenever Evans slept over."

"He did what?" Dani's eyes widened.

"Don't worry. He quit by the time he was in high school."

"So you really do have a thing for Destiny?" Dani suddenly got a gushy, girly look on her face.

Tea now had a horrified look. "I certainly hope you don't."

"Mom, I thought you liked Destiny." Dani looked at her mother as if she had grown a third eye.

"I adore Destiny, Mejia. But she's with Matthew a.k.a. Nora's son. You know, Nora, the district attorney that we are going to have to ask for a lenient plea agreement."

"Delgado, I swear you're too soft. We can just buy off the judge. If Jack wants to date Destiny, he should be with her. We don't have to go crawling to Nora. You know she hates me, anyway. I bet she can't wait to through the book at Jack because of it." Todd began to gnaw on a nearby apple.

"Oh my gosh, would everyone stop talking about me like I'm not in the room. Tea, you can relax. I'm not going to do anything to mess up my case." Jack stormed off to his room.

Jack was angry. When he came up with his plan to make Shane lose one of his best friends, he hadn't considered Matthew, Nora or his own court case. He considered letting things go until he recalled that if it weren't for stupid Shane and Neela, he wouldn't have to worry about a case. Of course, if it hadn't been for Shane, Neela and his plan for revenge, he wouldn't have hung out with Destiny and learned that she was actually kind of cool to be around. Now because of Shane and Matthew, Tea pretty much demanded he stay away from Destiny. It made him want to get Shane, and now Matthew, back even more.

A few minutes later, he heard a soft knock on the door. It was Dani.

"I'm sorry for all that stuff downstairs. I didn't know you liked Des. I thought you were up to something. That's the only reason I told."

"Okay, not that I'm admitting to anything."

"You wouldn't."

"Why are you here now?"

"Because I want to help."

"Why?" Now, Jack was suspicious.

"Because you are my brother and Destiny is my best friend. I think it's kind of cute."

"You said it was gross."

"I changed my mind."

"Doesn't matter. Destiny's with Matthew." Jack leaned back on the wall. If Dani was truly willing to help, he might still be able to pull his plan off. "I thought you were friends with Matthew."

"I'm friends with Destiny. Matthew, I tolerate him because of Destiny. He told a gym full of people that I begged him to have sex. As if that wasn't hard enough to live with he also called my boyfriend's mother a slut and a whore. I think she can do better. You've got potential…despite your past behavior."

"So, what you're going to help me get with Destiny?"

"I didn't say that. Let's just say that maybe it wouldn't be the worse thing in the world if Destiny set her sights on someone else. And it certainly would help you to spend time away from some of your idiot friends."

She turned and left the room.

Destiny looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly felt very bored with her look. She'd worn her braids since freshman year and she hated everything in her wardrobe. She wondered for a second what kind of clothes Taylor had in her closet. Immediately, she shook the thought from her mind. She would not be that girl…the insecure one that always worried about her boyfriend looking at other girls. Matthew chose her and she would be comfortable with that.

She'd loved Matthew since the first time she met when they were freshmen. And until recently, he'd picked girl after girl over her, including her best friend. Though they were together now, part of it still bothered her.

She walked into the kitchen. Her mom, Felicia, was cooking something good. She scooted on to one of the barstools near the kitchen island.

After no more than thirty seconds, her mother asked her what was wrong. Although she insisted that nothing was wrong her mother knew better. She finally confessed that she was bored with her "look."

"I hope you don't think you need to change yourself because of Matthew Buchanan. If that boy doesn't like you the way you are then you can do better."

"Mom, it's not about Matthew. I just want to do something new."

"Okay, her mom smiled. Let's get makeovers and have a day just for us. How about Friday?"

"I'd like that." Destiny smiled. She'd only returned from living with her brother a month before. This girls' day would be good.

Her cell phone rang. It was Matthew. She slipped out of the kitchen and into her bedroom.

"Hey Des, my family is going up to our cabin on Friday. Do you want to come with us?"

"I wish." She did. She loved Matthew's parents almost as much as she loved him. "But my mom and I are having a girls' day on Friday. Next time?"

"Yeah, sure."

Later that day, Dani stopped by. She was thrilled that Destiny's mom made chocolate chip cookies.

"Mrs. Evans these are so awesome!"

"Thanks Daniela."

Dani sank her teeth into another bite of cookie. "Hey Des, I was thinking that it's been a really long time since you slept over. Want to sleep over on Friday?"

"I can't. Mom and I are hanging out that day."

"In the daytime." (It was the last week of Destiny's summer break). Her mother rubbed her back. "There's no reason, you can't go to Daniela's house afterward."

"Great." Destiny turned to Dani. "You'll be the first person to see my new look."

Dani hopped off her chair and hugged Destiny. "This is going to be so awesome."


	5. Chapter 5

Hello all, because I love you (and Jestiny) I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish this. So, if you like it, please let me know. Thanks so much for all of your kind reviews. I appreciate them.

**The Plan – Chapter 5**

Jack Manning knew his family was different than other families. It wasn't because his dad was insanely wealthy or because his dad had more enemies than friends. The strangest part about his family was that his mother and his stepmother had become best friends, even though his mother once pushed his stepmother out of a window.

As a result of their friendship, it was no surprise to him that two days earlier they announced that they were going on a spa weekend together. That meant he and his little brother, Sam, would be staying with his dad for the second weekend in a row. He didn't mind. His dad was gruff, but cool for the most part. It also meant they would be going to dinner. They'd decided on the County Club.

So, promptly at 6:30 p.m., he drove Sam and himself to his Dad's. He was only slightly surprised that when he got there his dad wasn't ready. Todd was on a business call. And that was not at all unusual.

A few seconds after he arrived, while he and Sam were in the living room, Jack heard the doorbell ring. He headed to the front door. To his surprise, he opened it to find Destiny. He couldn't believe his eyes. She looked amazing. She wore a sleeveless, lilac dress that was fitted from the top to the waist and fell into what looked like a feather light skirt that stopped just above her knees. She topped this look off with strappy sandals. He also noticed that her braids were gone and her hair hung straight resting just below her shoulders.

After a full minute of Jack staring without speaking, Destiny began to feel a little self-conscious. "Jack, is something wrong?"

"No, you just look…I mean you really look." Jack found himself strangely tongue-tied until he was saved by his father…sort of.

"Oh Evans, it's you." Todd gave her the once over and then looked at Jack. "I think my son is trying to say is that you clean up nicely." Todd then turned his attention to Jack. "You're really going to have to learn to get along better with words if you want to take over the newspaper someday." He turned and screamed upstairs. "Dani! Evans is here."

Todd asked Jack about Sam's whereabouts and Jack mumbled something about games in the living room. Todd went to get Sam, which left Jack and Destiny alone. Jack continued to gaze at her intently causing Destiny once more to feel uncomfortable.

"Okay," she finally sighed, "You've been staring without saying a word. I know _you'll _tell me the truth. Is my new look that bad?"

"Bad?" Jack scoffed in disbelief. "You look beautiful. I mean…you looked great before, but now…"

Destiny was shocked that Jack called her beautiful. She didn't imagine that it was a word he used often, with anyone. Though she was slightly embarrassed by the compliment, she was flattered. "Thank you," she replied softly.

It was Destiny's turn to look at Jack. He wore a crisp, white, button down, short sleeve shirt that made his shoulders look a mile wide paired with a pair of khaki pants. His thick, sandy-blonde bangs fell into his face almost camouflaging his deep-set green eyes. Then it occurred to her that she hadn't really noticed that his eyes were green before and she wondered why she was noticing now.

"Destiny?" Dani called out. She caused both of them to jump. "Oh my gosh, you look amazing!" Jack headed to the living room to find his dad.

"It's not too much?" Destiny asked.

"No. I can't wait until everyone sees you at school. All the guys are going to love you."

Destiny smiled. The truth was although she had been startled by Jack's reaction, she was only worried about one boy's reaction: Matthew's.

"So, where are we going to go tonight to show you off?"

"We don't have to go anywhere." Destiny protested.

"Nonsense." Todd seemed to appear from thin air and immediately interjected himself into their conversation. Sam and Jack walked a few steps behind him. "You two can come to the club with us."

"I don't know." Destiny knew Matthew would freak out about her having dinner at the same table as Jack. If they went to the country club, he would probably hear about dinner before he even got back from the cabin. "Maybe Dani and I should just stay here. Besides, the club would be awkward since I work there."

"Come on Des. You look too great to stay home. Please, let's go out," Dani whined.

"We could go to mom's club. They serve food. Plus, she never lets me go there." Sam chimed in.

Matthew and his family never went to Capricorn. It was more of a Manning hang out. Destiny sighed. It might be fun to get out with other people and maybe dance a little. Over the last eight months, Matthew had become very withdrawn. For the last four, she knew Eddie Ford was the reason. Still, it meant that they very rarely hung out with other people except for Shane and Neela if they came over. "I guess Capricorn might be okay."

Jack marveled at how his little brother successfully inserted not only himself, but also Jack and his dad into Dani and Destiny's plans. He definitely owed the kid one. He would owe the kid more before the evening was over.

First, Sam ran to sit beside Destiny. Then when everyone was perfectly content, Sam changed his mind and needed to sit between Dani and his dad, which meant Jack had to sit next to Destiny. Then Sam could barely make it through dessert when he began to whine about being ready to go home. Interestingly, Dani's boyfriend, Nate showed up at the same time that they were leaving and volunteered to drive Destiny, Dani and Jack to the Manning residence…at a decent hour.

Destiny was starting to get the feeling that the Manning clan was trying to play matchmaker for her and Jack. She thought it was sweet, even if it wasn't ever going to happen.

Still, there was a weird vibe between her and Jack. For the first time ever, she kept noticing the green of his eyes and the width of his shoulders. If that wasn't bad enough, Jack unnerved Destiny at dinner when she caught him looking at her when he thought no one else was looking. There was a moment when he'd actually managed to hold her gaze; she wondered why she couldn't look away. When Dani and Nate headed to the dance floor, Destiny and Jack were left sitting alone at the table. After a few minutes of silence, Jack was the first to speak.

"Do you want to dance?"

She knew it was a bad idea. Plus, she wasn't sure she could trust Jack. Whatever he was up to or whatever he had on his mind, she had to set him straight. "No thanks. I don't think _my boyfriend_ would like me dancing with another guy."

Destiny wasn't sure if she referred to Matthew as her boyfriend as a reminder to herself or to Jack. Whatever the reason, Destiny's mention of a boyfriend annoyed Jack. He made only a slight effort to hide his irritation.

"I didn't ask you what your boyfriend wanted; I asked you if you wanted to dance."

He was so sarcastic. Of course, after spending the last two hours with Todd, she understood where it came from, "Well, luckily for me, the answer is the same: no thanks."

She meant to roll her eyes at him. Until she noticed he was staring at her again.

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

"I like the way you look."

After years of watching his dad and Tea, Jack learned that women liked honesty much more than they liked flattery. He could tell his answer surprised her.

"You can stop now." Destiny was annoyed. She was sure he was up to something now. Jack's interest in her had peaked at an unnatural pace over the last week and a half.

"Stop what?"

"Whatever you're up to. Why are you being nice to me? Is this about getting back at Matthew for something he's done?"

Once again the mention of Matthew's name made the hairs on the back of Jack's neck rise. "The only thing Matthew has done is to convince you that your world revolves around him. What happened to you? The first time Dani brought you home, you said what was on your mind to me or my dad or whoever. Now, everything out of your mouth is Matthew this or Matthew that."

This was the Jack she had come to know: the jerk. She leaned forward and got in his face. "Should I be like you instead? Not caring about anyone? I wish I could, but that's how people get hurt."

As soon as the words came out of Destiny's mouth she saw the wounded look on Jack's face. She felt awful. She knew part of him felt bad about what happened to Shane's mom and he didn't deserve to have her throw it in his face.

"Jack," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Before she could finish her sentence, he was leaving the table. He mumbled something about calling his dad. When Dani and Nate returned to the table, Destiny was too embarrassed to tell them about the argument or the reason Jack left. She just said she was tired and was ready to go home.

When they arrived at Dani's, the house was dark and there was no sign of Jack. Destiny and Dani went to Dani's room where they talked for a while. During their conversation, Destiny noticed just how many of her issues centered on Matthew. Maybe Jack wasn't trying to be a jerk after dinner; maybe he was just being honest.

Jack paced in his bedroom for nearly an hour after he arrived home. Everything had gone wrong at Capricorn. When he was looking at Destiny, his motives were pure. Whatever she had done that day to her hair and with her makeup had transformed her into more than just the girl he thought was cute. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. It hurt when she didn't trust that he was being genuine and given his bet with Chase, she was right not to.

A couple hours after Jack had Todd pick him up, Jack found that he was unable to sleep. So, he decided to raid the kitchen for a 2:00 a.m. snack. Since it was 2:00 a.m., it was technically morning, which meant it was time for French toast. He grabbed some eggs, a loaf bread and butter. Then he turned on the light over the kitchen island. The soft voice he heard when the light came on startled him.

"Hi."

It was Destiny's turn to stare. Jack wore his pajama bottoms and no shirt; his time in the gym was evident.

"What are you doing in the dark?"

"I couldn't sleep. And I didn't want to wake anyone up." She released a deep sigh. "I'm sorry. I overreacted tonight. You kind of threw me when you kept looking at me."

"Destiny, I'm a guy. You looked good. It's not rocket science."

She couldn't help smiling before she continued on, "Seriously, I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Like I told you before, I know you didn't mean to hurt Ms. Morasco. "

Jack nodded. A few seconds later, he chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"I think you may be the only person who has ever apologized to me for anything."

Destiny was shocked. The admission was a telling one. It explained why Jack had such difficulty showing remorse for the things that happened with Shane. "Well, I guess that makes me special."

"You are special." He looked at her and then quickly diverted his eyes. "And that is why I'm going to make you breakfast."

She looked at him with a healthy dose of skepticism. "Right. What are you going to make? Peanut butter and cereal?"

"You've had my ice cream smoothie and you still doubt my skills in the kitchen. I guess you should just sit over there and get ready to have the best French toast you've ever had."

"Sorry." She shrugged.

Destiny watched as Jack moved from the counter to the stove. The kitchen was one of the few places where she had seen him drop his bravado. It made her relax.

He carried two plates full of French toast to the table. She left the barstool next to the island and walked to the table. It was then that Jack noticed Destiny wore a sleep shirt that looked like a guy's t-shirt, just as she did when he was a kid.

"Destiny, if you really want me to stop looking at you, I'm going to need you to wear something other than what you have on the next time you spend the night."

"Awkward," she mumbled. If Destiny were fairer-skinned, she would have turned three shades of red. Still, she felt the heat of embarrassment rise to her cheeks. She added, "And you're not helping."

"Okay," he smiled. "I'll stop."

For the next hour or so, they talked about school and their upcoming classes. It turned out they would both be in the same Spanish class. Then they washed their dishes and said an awkward goodnight that consisted of two half waves goodbye. And although they wouldn't admit it to a sole, at least not for a while, neither of them got much sleep.

The next afternoon, Destiny went home and Jack went to see Chase. He and Chase had plans for later that evening, so Chase seemed surprised to see him.

"Dude, what's up?" Chase greeted him with an unreturned fist bump. "We aren't supposed to meet for another four hours."

"This is important. It's about the plan to get back at Shane. I'm not going through with it."

"Fine. Enjoy you time as a ball boy."

Jack didn't care. All he knew was Destiny was more important than a stupid guitar or a few basketball games. After the night before, he felt as though there was something between them. Whatever it was, he wasn't willing to risk it over a stupid bet. "I'll do it under one condition."

"What?"

"Destiny can never know about our plan." Jack held Chase's gaze with unbroken contact.

"Fine. Deal." Chase smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi all, thanks as usual for all of the reviews. You guys rock. (Hi Zeaky, welcome!) Matthew's back, but Jack is still here. Matthew fans: he's not being a jerk, he's just being Matthew. It's a little long, but I hope you enjoy it. Pardon the typos (if you see them); it's late. I'll edit later._

**The Plan- Chapter 6**

Tuesday morning after Labor Day arrived and so with it came the first day of school. Although Destiny talked to Matthew several times while he was at the cabin, he and his parents got back to Llanview too late for them to see each other. Maybe it was for the best. She could surprise him with her new look at school. He would want to know about her weekend. After the spending Friday and Saturday morning with the Mannings, she hung out with her brother, Shawn on Saturday night, her parents on Sunday and back at the Mannings' again at a family BBQ on Monday.

At the BBQ, both Jack'ss mother and stepmother were present, which seemed to keep Jack at bay. To Destiny's surprise, she found that she was a little disappointed when he kept his distance. In her mind, she reminded herself that Matthew was her concern, not Jack. She did take comfort knowing that she would see Jack in Spanish class later today.

Checking the clock, she noticed it was nearly time for Matthew to pick her up. She checked her outfit in the mirror. She wore black dress shorts, a matching blazer and a turquoise scoop-neck top. Her heels added a couple inches to her height, which would still leave her several inches shorter than Matthew…and Jack. She quickly shook Jack from her mind.

She walked into the kitchen to find her Dad making breakfast. He smiled at her broadly. "Don't you look gorgeous? I'm not sure I like this new grown-up look. Feels like I'm losing my baby."

"You're not going to lose me, Daddy." She hugged his side.

"That's good. I was afraid I was going to have to pull rank on Matthew."

"Daddy!" She couldn't help smiling broadly. It felt so good to be back home. Yes, her parents lied about her being adopted, but they were her parents in every way that mattered.

The doorbell rang. It was Matthew.

"Hey Des."

She watched as his eyes gave her the once over. She assumed hers did the same. He was casually handsome in a hoodie and jeans.

"Good Morning, Matthew," she greeted him in a sing-song way. "Did you miss me?"

"Yeah."

Matthew extended his hand to take hers. He began to lead her in the direction of his car. Destiny turned back toward the kitchen and yelled, "Bye Daddy!" When they arrived at the car, Matthew opened the door for her. And they sped off to school.

"You look different. You took your braids out." He continued to stare straight ahead.

"You noticed." She smiled. Then she noticed that he wasn't smiling.

"Why did you change the way you look?"

She shrugged. "I just wanted to try something different. Don't you like it?"

"Yeah, I like it, but I think it's strange that after one pool party with Jack, you suddenly want to be a whole new you. "

Destiny sighed. "We're not really going to start with the Jack stuff again are we? Maybe I wanted to look a little differently because your eyes never almost popped out of your head when they saw me, the way that they did when you saw Taylor."

"Why are you making a big deal about Taylor, Des? I'm with you. I choose to be with you. You didn't need to change the way you look."

Turning her head, Destiny looked out of the window. She never guessed that her makeover would be the source of an argument.

When they parked in the parking lot, Destiny didn't wait for Matthew to open her door. She hopped out as soon as they came to a stop. Her feet moved as quickly as they could carry her. Still, Matthew, aided by his height and his gym shoes, caught up to her before she got very far.

"Des, wait. I don't want to fight, but you can't blame me for being scared. Think about what happened with Dani and Nate."

"I'm not Dani," she said, softly. What she didn't say was that the mention of Dani's name in reference to Matthew always made her feel bad. It was just another example of Matthew choosing another girl over her. "Jack is Dani's brother and a friend, that's it. I'm not going to cheat on you."

"Now you guys are friends?"

Destiny refused to respond to Matthew with any more than a disgusted look. She was not going to argue about this again.

"Fine you're only _friends_. I'm glad," he closed the space between them. "Because I can't lose you, Des. You're the only person I can trust. I can't even sleep when you're not around. I've got all that Eddie junk in my head." He allowed his forehead to rest against hers. "Do you forgive me?"

"I forgive you." Having Matthew that close to her made Destiny's pulse race a little. Then he leaned in and kissed her.

"I really missed you, Des."

"I missed you, too."

"And you look great."

They held hands as they walked to the school. Both had English first period, so after stops at both their lockers, they walked to class still holding hands. As they arrived at class, they learned that Jack's locker was immediately outside of their classroom. He wore a blue polo shirt and jeans.

Jack's eyes went immediately to Destiny and Matthew's hands. Mentally, he reminded himself that Destiny was Matthew's girlfriend and that Matthew technically had a right to hold Destiny's hand. He also knew Matthew hated him and would use any opportunity to influence Destiny to stay away from him. So, he would have to play the nice guy.

"Hi guys."

Matthew stared at Jack with a completely blank expression as if he wasn't even there. Destiny smiled.

Once again, Jack thought she looked amazing. He focused on Matthew's facial expression to keep from staring at Destiny.

"Hi Jack," Destiny's voice was cheery, almost too much so. "I didn't' know your locker was here."

"Yep. Right next to your class."

Matthew was the next to speak. "Des, we should get inside before class starts. "

Once more Jack decided to be the good guy. He would have Destiny all to himself during fourth period, right before lunch. "Yeah, I should get going, so I'm not late." Still, he couldn't help winking at Destiny when Matthew wasn't looking.

Destiny felt herself blush when Jack winked at her, but she recovered before Matthew suspected anything was wrong. The wink made her giddy inside, though she knew it shouldn't have. Still, she appreciated that Jack didn't do anything to further irritate Matthew.

As Jack walked down the hallway to his math class, he was in a great mood. He even said, "hello" to Shane and Neela. The expressions on their faces were priceless. He imagined that his behavior might be the topic of some conversation when Destiny was around and this time, he wasn't doing anything wrong.

Fourth period finally arrived. By the time he arrived, Destiny was inside. An empty desk remained beside her. Jack quickly slid into the chair before someone could beat him to it. He tapped Destiny's shoulder.

"Excuse me, don't I know you from somewhere?" Jack asked as he waited for Destiny to turn around. When she did he rewarded her with a big smile.

"Yes, I think we may met once or twice before." Destiny couldn't help smiling widely. "I think the first time we met, you were in your dad's living room. You were about four feet nine, wearing superhero pajamas. "

"Shh!" Jack felt the heat flood to his face. He couldn't believe Destiny was bringing up the _very _first time they met. His embarrassment turned to laughter as soon as he heard her giggle. Just loud enough for Destiny to hear, he mumbled, "jerk."

Truthfully, he wasn't upset that she was teasing him. In fact, he was glad because it confirmed for him that they had unearthed something special between them over the weekend.

When Destiny mentioned the superhero pjs, it was her intent to remind Jack of the one-year age difference between them. It was not her intention to notice how handsome he was when his bravado fell or how his face lit up when he laughed; when she noticed both, she felt strangely very guilty.

When class was over Jack and Destiny left the room together. As they walked in the direction of the cafeteria, Jack saw Chase walking in their direction. Everything inside Jack screamed for him to turn around and head in the other direction. If he weren't afraid it would raise too much suspicion, he would have. The best he could hope for was diverting his eyes. Still, as they passed Chase, Jack immediately heard his voice.

"Yo Manning, see you at football practice."

"Yeah," Jack said. He plastered a fake smile on his face.

When Chase was out of earshot, Destiny asked, "You're going out for the football team?"

"Not exactly."

"Then why are you going to practice?" Destiny remembered that Dani once told her that the only sport the Manning kids weren't permitted to watch was football. Dani once asked her mom why and she said it was because football reminded Todd of a bad time in his life.

"I, um, I decided to help out the team in another way."

"What way?"

Jack knew the truth would lead to more questions. So, he looked for a way out. And much to his surprise and delight he saw Shane Morasco.

"Well, as much as I would like to finish walking you to the cafeteria, I can see Shane at the end of the hallway giving me a dirty look. "

Destiny felt bad. Through some strange twist of fate, she and Jack had become friends. She didn't want him to feel like he had to run away every time Shane or Matthew was around.

"You don't have to leave." Her voice was soft as she spoke.

"I don't want to mess things up with you and your friends. I know Shane hates my guts, but it's okay. You and I can hang out when you come to see Dani."

"Jack, we're friends, too. The sooner my friends get that, the better. "

Jack laughed, "Calm down feisty, it's only the first day of school. No point in getting into fights this early."

No sooner than Jack finished his sentence, Shane approached. Shane looked directly at Destiny. He made no eye contact with Jack.

"Destiny, what are you doing with him?"

Jack answered with a smirk, "Him was just leaving."

Destiny turned to look at him and to his surprise she was smiling. His humor had its desired effect. Once more she said quietly, "You don't have to."

"Yea, I do," he said. She'd given him enough to smile about in the last hour. He didn't need to push. "Bye Shane, bye Desi."

Destiny didn't notice that Shane hadn't responded or that he was watching her watch Jack walk away. All she noticed was that Jack called her Desi and she kind of liked it.

"What are you doing?" Shane practically yelled, causing her to jump. "Why are you hanging out with Jack? Have you forgotten what that guy did to me?"

"Have you forgotten that he is my best friend's brother?"

"And that's it?"

"No, he's also a friend."

"Since when," Shane demanded. "What about Matthew?"

"What about Matthew? Me being friends with Jack has nothing to do with me dating Matthew."

"It has everything to do with Matthew_ and me._ You know Jack is only being nice to you because he probably wants you to testify for him. He's just trying to get away with killing my mom."

"Well, I think he's changing."

"How can you say that?" Shane yelled once more.

Matthew appeared a minute or so later. Destiny wondered how long he had been within earshot. "Hey guys, what's going on?" Matthew put his arm around Destiny's shoulder. "Sounds like you were fighting."

To Destiny's surprise, Shane quickly changed his expression and claimed that they were having a discussion about sports. He mumbled something about finding Neela and left.

"You sure you and Shane are okay?" Matthew asked when Shane was gone.

"Yes."

"What were you guys fighting about?" Matthew stared at her.

She didn't want to lie to him. "We'll work it out."

"Okay." He took her hand. "I have a surprise for you."

"You do? What is it?"

"Well, my grandma Renee will be out of town in a couple of weeks and I thought we could get a room at the Palace."

"Oh."

"What's wrong? I thought you missed me."

"I did, but I thought we could just hang out for awhile. Sometimes, I feel like we barely talk anymore."

"We'll talk between now and then. But I need to be with you, I can barely sleep when you're not next to me." He leaned closer and spoke so that only she could hear. "I keep thinking about Eddie and all the stuff that happened and I just need you. "

Destiny sighed. She hated the thought of Matthew being in pain. "Well, I guess it's a date."


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you all for the fantastic replies. I think Matthew came off even worse than I intended. But, you should know me well enough to know that I love Matthew, too & I'm not going to make it easy for Jack and Destiny to be together. (BTW, I changed my profile avi to the latest picture Shenell posted of she and Andrew (Jack) celebrating her 18__th__ birthday. Patrick (Sam) was there, too. Aw, I miss them.) Hope this isn't too long._

**The Plan – Chapter 7**

By the end of the first week of school, Destiny wasn't sure how she was going to get through the whole semester. Matthew was even moodier than normal. They talked about superficial things: their classes, his job at BE, his parents. On occasion, they talked about the way things were going for her at home, but not particularly often. It seemed that Matthew assumed, somewhat correctly, that things were going fine for her at home. They rarely left campus at lunchtime anymore and instead sat in a corner of the cafeteria alone, unless Shane and Neela joined them.

On Tuesday, Shane asked if Destiny and Matthew planned on attending Jack's pre-trial hearing in a sign of support. When Destiny told Shane she didn't think it would be a good idea, he looked at her with disgust.

"Thanks for your support," he sneered. She still remembered the hurt look on his face.

Where Shane left off, Matthew continued on. They argued for nearly 20 minutes until she finally blurted that she didn't think sitting in a courtroom listening to involuntary manslaughter charges was exactly what _he_ needed, right now. He conceded that she was right and then he thanked her for understanding.

Destiny was fairly certain Eddie Ford was on Matthew's mind. From the faint dark circles that had formed beneath his eyes, she quickly guessed that he hadn't been sleeping. She had to guess because when she asked, he simply brushed the subject of his insomnia off by saying he was fine. He would then tell her how much he was looking forward to spending time with her at The Palace.

Spanish class was the highlight of each of her days. On the second day, they had to pick Spanish names. Destiny picked Sophia like Sophia Vegara on modern family. Jack picked Javier after a baseball player he liked. Everyday for 10 minutes or so of the class, they got to pair up with the partner of their choice to practice their vocabulary. When she and Jack practiced, it often felt like they were the only two in the classroom. Then when class was over he would walk her part of the way to class, generally disappearing before they had a chance to run into Matthew, Shane or Neela. Destiny still hadn't managed to find out what Jack was doing for the football team or why he was doing it, but she figured she would eventually pull it out of him.

Even Destiny's closest friendships were at different places. While she and Dani were as close as ever, the distance between she and Shane was growing. Even after she explained that she thought Matthew was stressed about _something_ and that was the reason she didn't want to attend the pretrial, things were still strained. He scrutinized her every sentence for any mention of Jack. By the end of the week, she found their conversations were very guarded.

Apparently, the stress of Destiny's various situations was starting to show because Thursday, Dani insisted that she and Destiny hang out after school. Over a plate of nachos, Dani began asking Destiny a lot of questions she had been asking herself, but that she didn't want to answer.

_Flashback:_

"_Des, what's going on with you? You seem really stressed out. I know it's not school because we just got here. Is it Matthew?"_

"_Why would you think it has to do with Matthew?"_

"_Because things always seem tense between you."_

_Destiny was surprised that Dani noticed. She thought Matthew did a fairly decent job of remaining somewhat upbeat around other people, but maybe she was wrong._

"_Matthew has been moody, but I'm sure he'll be back to himself soon."_

"_Has his moodiness affected how he has been treating you?" _

_Destiny looked down before she answered, "no."_

"_Are you sure?" Dani stared at her as if to the demand the truth. "Des."_

"_I'm sure. He's just got this irrational fear that I'm going to cheat on him. I don't know why. It makes us argue all the time. I keep telling him that there is nothing going on with..."_

"_With who?" Dani leaned forward in the booth for dramatic affect. She kept her voice low. "Matthew's actually jealous of you and Shane? You guys have been friends forever." _

_Destiny took a deep breath as she considered that her best friend was "the other guy's" sister. "It's not Shane. Matthew is worried about my friendship with Jack."_

"_Does he have something to worry about?" Dani asked, trying to disguise a smile as she spoke._

"_No." Destiny looked away. Part of her knew she wasn't telling the truth. Although she knew she wouldn't cheat on Matthew, she knew that every minute she spent with Jack was like playing with fire. "He's making it about Jack when the truth is, we don't even talk anymore. The biggest problem is that lately, there's only one thing on his mind."_

"_Is Matthew pressuring you to have sex?"_

"_No," Destiny protested. The way Dani looked at her made her reconsider her answer. "I mean, I don't think he's doing it intentionally. The first time, I didn't object." Destiny remembered that the first time was the night he told her he killed Eddie. He was so miserable and torn up inside. "But each time after that, it's felt more and more like a mistake."_

"_Des, just because you made a few mistakes, doesn't mean you have to keep making them. If you don't want to have sex with Matthew then don't. He's your boyfriend. If you don't want to sleep with him he should understand…and not pressure you."_

_Destiny knew Dani was right. But she also knew she hadn't specifically told him that she wasn't down with his plans for next Saturday night. So, she decided to have a talk with Matthew, sooner rather than later._

_End Flashback_

She planned to tell Matthew what was on her mind when she saw him at school the next day, but he didn't show up. So, she decided to stop by Matthew's house on Saturday afternoon.

Destiny arrived at Matthew's house mid-afternoon on Saturday. Both his parents, whom she adored, greeted her warmly. She noticed that Mr. & Mrs. B were looking at her strangely and she wondered if, perhaps, they'd found out about Matthew's plans for them to stay at the Palace.

"Destiny, have you noticed that Matthew has been a little on edge lately?" Destiny felt as though she was about to be cross-examined as his mom walked closer to her. She'd seen Mrs. B give the same treatment to witnesses in the courtroom.

"A little, I guess."

"Do you know why?

Destiny squirmed a little uncomfortably. "Shouldn't you be asking Matthew?"

"Matthew won't tell us anything." Mrs. B sighed. Destiny felt badly for her because she could tell she was worried about her son.

"Destiny," Commissioner B. called her name. "You're Matthew's girlfriend and you're his best friend. I know you don't want to break Matthew's confidence, but if there's something we need to know, you should tell us or try to get Matthew to do it."

Destiny nodded. "Can I go see Matthew now?"

"Sure." Mrs. B's voice betrayed her irritation. "He's in his room."

Destiny was so anxious to get away from Matthew's parents that she didn't knock before she entered his bedroom. What she saw horrified her, Matthew was curled in a ball, sobbing. Her instinct was to go to him, but she knew that with his pride, seeing him that way might be the last nail in the coffin of their relationship. So, she stepped out of his room, wiped the tears that had begun to fall from her eyes and knocked very loudly on the door.

"Who is it?" Matthew called out after a few minutes.

"Des, I think I'm coming down with something. You probably shouldn't come in here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Call me okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

Matthew didn't call. He also didn't respond to her calls or texts. Destiny occupied herself by spending the rest of the weekend with her parents and she even stopped by Shane's house to offer him her support. Still, she told Shane that she hoped he would find it in his heart to forgive Jack. He told her not to count on it.

Matthew finally called on Monday, but only to say he wasn't going to pick her up for school because he still didn't feel well enough to go. He expected he would be fine by the weekend.

Monday at school was torturous. First, she ran into Taylor, who asked how Matthew was doing. Taylor was concerned about Matthew. Apparently, Matthew had forgotten to mention that Taylor was his chemistry lab partner, which explained why he hadn't pitched a fit about her having Jack in Spanish. Taylor said she thought Matthew had been on edge. Once again, Destiny found herself explaining away Matthew's behavior. Worst of all on Monday was there was no Matthew, no Shane, no Dani and no Jack. It gave her too much time to think. She was starting to think Matthew was in over his head. Destiny was also fairly certain that Matthew's Uncle Clint, who helped him cover up Eddie's murder wasn't the best person for him to confide in.

Destiny grabbed homework for everyone. She decided to stop by Dani's house first. A strange relief washed over her when Jack answered the door.

"Hey." Jack smiled brightly at the sight of Destiny. He'd missed her. He watched as she walked in and enjoyed every second he spent watching.

"Hey, how did it go?"

"It was fine. They don't really do anything on the first court date, at least that's what Tea says."

"Still, isn't the court thing scary?" She didn't want to be rude, but something in her needed to know what Matthew could be facing. "I'm just curious, but you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

For whatever reason, Jack felt completely comfortable talking to Destiny. "No, it's okay. Yeah, court is a little scary, but the worse part was walking around not telling anybody what I did. Then I had to walk around, constantly worried about whether someone was going to tell what I did. Now, I know that it will eventually be over."

Destiny shook her head. Once more, she was amazed by this connection that she felt with Jack. It was as though he knew exactly what she needed to hear.

"Are you okay?" Jack wondered what was going on with her.

"Yeah, I'm good, now."

Destiny stayed a few minutes after giving Dani and Jack their homework. Then she made stops at Shane's and Matthew's houses. Matthew looked much better, but she was afraid it was all pretense. They talked for a few and she asked Matthew to consider telling his parents about Eddie. He refused.

Later that night, she talked to her dad. "Daddy, what would you do if you thought someone needed help, but was too stubborn to ask for it?"

"I guess I would try to convince them to get help."

"And if it didn't work?"

"Then if I knew how to help them, I would do it."

Destiny went to sleep that night knowing exactly what she needed to do. The next morning she came up with a plan. At school on Tuesday, Matthew was back and she too, pretended that everything was fine. She followed the pattern for the rest of the week as well. Each time Matthew talked about going to The Palace on Friday, she nodded or smiled.

Then Friday came. Matthew offered to pick Destiny up, but she insisted she would meet him at the Palace at 7:00 p.m. At 7:00, she drove to Matthew's parents' house instead of the Palace.

"Hi Destiny," Mrs. B greeted her with a smile. "Matthew's not here. He's with Shane."

"Mrs. B, I know where Matthew is. That's why I'm here. I have something to tell you that I wish Matthew would have told you, but I don't think he's going to."

"Come in Destiny." The Commish waved for her to join him on the sofa.

Once inside, Destiny filled Matthew's parents in on all of the details of the night Eddie Ford was killed. She also told them that she was very afraid that Matthew wasn't handling any of it very well. Thirty minutes into their conversation, Matthew walked into the apartment.

"What's going on here?" He looked from Destiny to his parents, back to Destiny.

"I told them the truth about Eddie."

"You did what?" Matthew yelled. Destiny could practically see the thoughts and the emotions running through Matthew's head all at once.

"It's okay, honey. We're going to get through this." Nora attempted to calm Matthew down.

"I trusted you!" Matthew kept his focus on Destiny. "I loved you."

This was not the way Destiny thought she would hear those three little words from Matthew. He was furious. She'd never seen him like this. Then suddenly he stop screaming and became eerily calm.

"I get why you did this."

"I did this because you couldn't handle this on your own. You have been crabby for months and I saw you in your room crying."

"You did this so you could be with Jack. You figured you would tell my parents and then watch me get locked up. You bitch!" Matthew spat the words at her.

"Matthew, enough!" his dad yelled. Then he placed his hands on Destiny's shoulder. "Destiny, maybe you should go and let Matthew's mom and me talk to Matthew."

"Yeah," Matthew continued to yell, "You should go! Don't ever come back again. We're done."

"Matthew, I was trying to help." The tears began to stream down her face. She headed to the door.

"I hate you!"

Those were the last words she heard Matthew say before she closed the door behind her. Destiny couldn't even make it to the car before she collapsed in a pile of tears.

Later that evening, she tried to call Matthew several times. She wanted to make him understand. But, all of his calls went straight to voicemail. The next evening, Destiny was surprised when Matthew's number flashed on her caller-id. The voice she heard on the other end, however, belonged to his dad.

"Destiny, thank you for telling Nora and me about Matthew. I want you to know he didn't mean the things he said."

"He sounded like he did." Destiny wiped her tears once more.

"I know, hon, that's why we took Matthew to see a doctor. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. You were right when you said he couldn't handle this alone. "

Destiny spoke through tears. "Can I see him?"

"Not at first, he's been admitted to the hospital. They think he's going to have to stay there for a few months."

"Months?"

"Yes, but Destiny, the good news is he's going to be okay. Now that Nora and I know we can make sure Matthew gets through all of this."

"Thanks for calling Mr. B." Destiny hung up the phone. Then she closed her eyes and wondered how she was going to survive knowing she betrayed the boy she loved.

_A/N:_ _This is my version of OLTL's six-month coma (though Matt is probably not going to be gone six-months in my story). I also needed to resolve the Eddie stuff (which OLTL didn't do) & I needed to have someone address Matthew's behavior before I could redeem him. Expect the Matt we all loved when he get back. I hope you liked this one. Next few chapters will be mostly Des and Jack._


	8. Chapter 8

Hi all thanks as always for the reviews! This one is almost all Jack and Destiny. Matthew will be back soon enough. And Matthew fans, don't worry, he's going to get better. And some of his behavior is going to be explained. I hope you guys enjoy.

**The Plan-Chapter 8**

Jack looked at the expensive watch that sparkled on his arm. The date read Thursday, September 22, 2011, the fourth day of the third week of school. He sighed; it was the fourth day that Destiny treated him as though he was barely visible. In Spanish class, she paid attention only to their teacher, except when they paired up to practice vocabulary and she paid attention only to her words. Worst of all, when class was over she would deliberately try to walk faster than him in order to avoid him.

The air of change between them seemed so odd to him. They hadn't argued about anything. He couldn't even blame Matthew who had been absent from school everyday this week. Maybe Shane had gotten to her, though he couldn't imagine about what. Destiny knew about all of his misdeeds concerning Shane before they had begun to get closer. He'd had enough.

This time, after Spanish class, when Destiny walked off ahead of Jack, he decided he wasn't going to let her go. Because his legs were so much longer than hers, he quickly caught up to her. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her into an open, unoccupied classroom. He closed the door behind them.

"What are you doing?" Destiny practically yelled.

"Trying to figure out what's wrong with you!"

"I'm fine," she stared at him to emphasize her point. "Can I go now?" She just wanted Jack to leave her alone. It would make things so much easier.

Destiny tried to step around him to the door. He blocked her path.

"No. Not until you tell me why you've been acting like I did something wrong."

"_You_ didn't do anything wrong. It's all on me. My boyfriend needed me and I let him down."

"I doubt that." Jack wondered what game Matthew was playing on Destiny now. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I hurt Matthew and he thinks it's because I want to be with you."

Jack felt himself smiling inside at the thought that _Matthew_ thought Destiny wanted to be with him. Still once he glanced at the tears welling at the brims of her eyelids his joy turned into guilt and then pure pain. He lifted his hand to wipe a tear that had begun to skate down her cheek. "What happened?"

"What happened doesn't matter." She almost allowed herself to settle into the reassuring feeling of his comfort, but instead, she moved his hand from her cheek. She had to prove that Matthew was wrong about her telling his parents that he killed a man in order for her to be with Jack. And he best way for her to prove Matthew wrong was for her to put some distance between her and Jack. "All that matters is Matthew is going to need me and when he does, I'm going to be here for him."

Jack then watched helplessly as Destiny left the classroom. He thought of going after her, but he wasn't exactly sure what he would say if he caught up to her. Instead, he spent the rest of the day distracted by thoughts of Destiny and what made her so upset. Fortunately, he had football "practice" to take his mind off of things.

By the time Jack finished hauling 25-pound coolers of Gatorade and picking up towels at practice, all he wanted to do was go home and sleep. He sent Destiny a text, asking if she was ready to talk. It went unanswered. So, he parked his car and crept in the back door of his father's house; his goal was to enter undetected. He succeeded. His reward was finding the kitchen occupied with his stepmother, who was having an intense telephone conversation with Matthew's mother.

Jack dropped to the floor and sat behind the kitchen island where he heard some very interesting details. It seemed that Tea was agreeing to represent Matthew in the Eddie Ford murder case. From Tea's end of the conversation, he learned that the Buchanan's only learned of Matthew's involvement because Destiny told them. Matthew flipped out on Destiny, leaving his mother terrified that he wasn't going to be okay. Matthew was currently receiving treatment on the third floor of the Llanview hospital.

Jack waited until Tea finished her conversation before he scampered out of the door and back into his car. He kept driving until he arrived at Destiny's house.

Destiny lay on the bed in her room. It was where she had been since she arrived home from school. Both of her parents knocked on her door and asked if she was okay. She dismissed them both by saying that she thought she was coming down with something. Now, only an hour after her dad last checked he was knocking once more on her door.

"Daddy, I'm fine," she called out to him.

"That's not why I'm knocking. You have a visitor. It's Jack Manning."

"Can you tell him I'll see him in school tomorrow?"

"I already told him you weren't feeling well. He says it's important and it's about Matthew."

Her father's last sentence got Destiny's attention. She looked in her bedside mirror, brushed her hair and put on a hint of lip-gloss. She convinced herself that she did it to hide the evidence that she had been crying.

"What are you doing here?" Destiny asked as soon as her father left the room. She did her best to avoid Jack's somewhat intense gaze. "What do you know about Matthew?"

"Everything." Jack closed the space between them. "I know you told his parents about Eddie and he went off on you."

"Shhh…" Destiny practically hissed at Jack. Her eyes darted about the room afraid that her parents would hear. A million thoughts ran through her mind: fear for Matthew's secret getting out and fear that Matthew would think she was the one who disclosed it. She wondered how he found out, but to ask him would be to confirm that he was right.

"You don't have to admit it…at least not now." Jack saw the fear in her eyes and remembered his own in the days before what he'd done to Shane's mother was revealed. He thought of how unfair it was that Matthew had asked Destiny to carry his guilt instead of Matthew bearing his own burdens. "But if you want to talk about it, I'm here. Everything will come out eventually. It always does. But if you want to talk before it does, I'm around."

Jack touched Destiny's cheek and then he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Such intimacy was a risk given her reaction to him earlier in the day, but he didn't want her to feel alone. He was surprised when felt her arms around his torso, willingly embracing him in. In response, he wrapped his arms around her.

Destiny hated herself for needing the security Jack was offering at that moment, but she was unable to turn away. Jack was so tall that his body felt like a huge shield protecting her from the world and all of the bad things that always seemed to be lurking about. After a minute or so, she pulled away. She then watched as Jack left without a word.

The next week was only slightly awkward between Destiny and Jack. They exchanged pleasant conversation in Spanish class, but she usually took off before they could talk in the hallway. More than anything, Destiny wanted to take Jack up on his offer to listen, but she felt as though she should really talk to Matthew about the Eddie stuff. Of course, it would have helped if Matthew had taken her calls. He wasn't permitted to have a cell phone, so she had to telephone the nurses' station. Matthew refused to accept each call she placed.

After nearly two weeks of being shut out by Matthew, Destiny had endured more than her share of sleepless nights and worry-filled days. Though she trusted Jack, for some unexplainable reason, it didn't feel right to talk to him about such personal stuff in the hallway where anyone could hear. So, she decided that maybe she could catch him after football practice. That way, they could have their privacy and she could find out what exactly he was doing at football practice anyway. Unfortunately, she and Dani got into a long conversation about Nate and his studies at LU, so Destiny didn't get to practice until it was pretty much over.

The football stadium was the last place Jack expected to see Destiny. If it weren't for Chase interrupting him as he was picking up cups and towels, Jack may not have seen her at all.

"Yo, Manning, looks like your girlfriend came to watch you do the laundry."

Jack gave Chase no answer as he stared into the stands where Destiny was sitting alone. Instead, he shoved the used towels into a bag, threw the bag under a table and headed to the bleachers where Destiny was sitting. He was the first to speak.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

Although Jack was now at her side, Destiny stared straight ahead. "I didn't expect to see you here doing this." She turned to look at him, "Why exactly are you the waterboy for the football team?"

Nothing short of bamboo shoots beneath his fingernails could have caused him to tell her the truth. He decided to charm his way out of the question. "Are you kidding me? Waterboy gets all the perks of being on the football team without getting hurt. I even get my own jersey."

Destiny wasn't buying Jack's excuse for a minute. "You expect me to believe that you are the football team's waterboy, so you can get a jersey and not hurt your pretty little face?"

"You think my face is pretty?" Jack asked with a bright smile. Flirting with Destiny was a risk, but it was one he had to take. Matthew had already missed almost two weeks of school. For all Jack knew, he could be back any day. Destiny had come to him and now he had to make the most of it.

"It's an expression. Besides you said you didn't want to get hurt." She found herself feeling very flustered.

Destiny's reaction did not go unnoticed by Jack. He flashed his best smile at her. "I didn't say anything about my face."

"Jack…" Destiny felt the warmth rise to her cheeks. Jack was flirting with her and that wasn't the reason why she came to practice, although she secretly liked it. "Can we change the subject?"

"Sure. What do you want to talk about? Your pretty face?"

"This is a bad idea." Destiny stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Jack touched her arm.

"I can't be here flirting with you. Matthew already thinks…"

Moving quickly to the left, he blocked her path. "Matthew thinks what?"

Destiny closed her eyes tightly and bit her lip. She was tired, so tired of keeping such an awful secret. In addition to the secret, she'd been burdened with the accusations Matthew hurled at her the night she told. Jack already told her that he knew what happened. So, she decided to spill. "Matthew thinks I told his parents what happened to get him out of the way so I could be with you."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Jack began to laugh.

Destiny dropped her head and retook her seat on the bleachers. She wondered if Jack was laughing because he thought the idea of him wanting to be with her was that far-fetched.

When he regained his composure, he sat beside her and continued on, "Do you seriously believe Matthew thinks you needed to get him in trouble just so you could be with me. Like you couldn't just breakup with him?" Jack shook his head. "I don't buy it for a second. The guy may be crazy but he's not stupid."

"Jack! Matthew's not crazy. He's just stressed out and he's going to get better."

"Yeah, I know he's going to get better. He knows it, too. That's why he laid that guilt trip on you, so you would wait around for him until he got better." Taking her left hand in his own, he decided to lay it all out. "Matthew specifically accused you of wanting to be with me because he knew the first chance I got, I was going to try to get you to be with me."

Destiny was fairly certain that her jaw hit the ground at Jack's last statement. For a second, she felt slightly dizzy. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that-" She withdrew her hand.

"Calm down Desi, I'm not going to start harassing you about dating me right away. I know you have to get over what's his name. I'll be your friend until you tell me you want to be more." He looked at Chase who was watching them a little too closely. "I gotta get back to practice, but I can take you home after if you want."

Destiny was still kind of thrown by Jack's words, but somehow, he managed to make her feel special in a way that she hadn't felt in the last several months. So, she nodded a slow, "yes."

When Jack returned to the field, he began once again to pick up towels. After a second or so, he felt Chase's hand on his shoulder.

"That looked intense."

Jack shrugged. Chase may have been his "friend," but he was a friend Jack had already shared too much with.

Chase took the towel Jack was holding out of his hand. "Look Jack, I'm not going to tell your little girlfriend our little secret, so you can relax."

"Yeah, thanks."

"I've got an idea, though. Why don't I throw you a few passes so you can impress your girl?"

Jack actually appreciated Chase's offer. Although he wasn't sure Destiny would be impressed by a show of athleticism, he didn't figure it would hurt. Plus, he had always been curious about football, but his dad never he tossed a ball around with him as a kid. To Jack's surprise, he actually enjoyed their spontaneous game.

As promised, Jack drove Destiny to her home. On their way, Jack decided to remind Destiny of their earlier conversation. "So, are you ready to date me yet?"

"Jack," Destiny giggled. "What happened to you giving me some time to deal with all of the Matthew stuff?"

"It's been at least an hour." Jack was encouraged by Destiny's ability to laugh at every cheesy line he threw at her. He smiled broadly. "You know, I assumed I wowed you with my impressive football skills."

"Yeah, you made a lot of moves I wasn't expecting today, but I think I still need a lot more time to work out my Matthew issues."

"Okay, I guess I can give you until next week."

Destiny shook her head. She couldn't stop smiling inside. When they reached Destiny's house, Jack moved to open his door so he could open her door. She stopped him because she believed it was best to end the car ride in the car.

"Don't get out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you've done enough today."

Destiny's words would have made Jack nervous if he hadn't noticed she was smiling. Then in a move that surprised even Destiny, she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Jack. I'll see you later."

She flew out of the car quickly before Jack had a chance to say anything. Once inside, Destiny leaned her head against the back of the door…and grinned. She was happy.

Moving to the kitchen so she could get a snack, she found an envelope on the counter that was addressed to her. The return address made her heart speed as she realized it was from the one person she had been waiting to hear from: Matthew.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hi all, I hope you enjoy this one. There is a lot of Jestiny fluff in here, but I wanted to give them a decent foundation before Matty comes back. Anyhow, here you go. Please excuse any typos. I'll correct them tomorrow. _

**The Plan – Chapter 9**

Destiny's hands shook as she debated whether to open the envelope that bore Matthew's name and handwriting. Even though Destiny had been trying desperately to reach Matthew from the time he'd left her, even the thought of what Matthew might say to her now, terrified her. Never had she seen Matthew so angry as he was the night she told his parents about what he had done to Eddie Ford. The words he used cut to her heart then and they still stung now. Still, she couldn't live without knowing. So, she opened the envelope.

The letter was only 4 lines long and no more than 30 words. It read:

Dear Destiny,

I'm sorry I hurt you. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Please, go on with your life.

Don't wait. And please, don't call me anymore.

Matthew

Destiny stared at the letter in disbelief. It was all very confusing. On the one hand, Matthew apologized for hurting her; so, he didn't hate her. He also was making it pretty clear that he didn't want to be with her. Still, he didn't say it was because his feelings changed. The whole letter left her feeling kind of numb.

Part of Destiny wanted to talk to Dani about it, but Eddie Ford was Dani's boyfriend, Nate's father. Dani also once dated Matthew and it ended badly. Not to mention, Dani was Jack's sister. And if she was honest with herself, she had to admit that Jack was making it hard for her to keep fighting for a guy who didn't want to be with her.

"Hey Pumpkin."

Destiny turned at the sound of her father's voice. "Hey Daddy."

"You look like you are in some deep thought, baby girl."

"I am."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Maybe." Destiny sighed. "How did you know Mommy was the one?"

"Aren't you a little young to be worried about _the one_?" Her dad chuckled.

"Never mind." Destiny turned to leave.

"I'm sorry, honey. Tell me what's on your mind."

She and her dad moved to the kitchen table. Destiny sank her head into her hands. She peeked up to find her dad was still looking at her. "It's Matthew."

"No surprise there."

"What does that mean?"

Destiny's dad leaned back in his chair. "Well, Matthew hasn't been around in a few weeks. And honestly, Destiny, that boy seems to keep you in tears."

"It's not like that. Matthew has been a really good friend to me."

"Friends don't make friends cry. You asked me how I knew your mother was the one. I knew it because she made me happy. Life is hard; love shouldn't make it harder. Love should feel natural. It's not something you have to force. "

Destiny didn't want to argue. Instead, she kissed her father on the forehead and went to her bedroom. As she lay on her bed, she wondered what her dad meant about love feeling natural. At one point, loving Matthew came as easy to her as breathing, but when they actually became a couple, things always seemed forced. Still, it didn't seem right for her to not to wait for him. They'd stood by each other through everything. Still, if he was asking her to let him go, she would have to try to do it.

The next day after Spanish class, Jack noticed that Destiny seemed a little quiet as he walked her part of the way to the cafeteria. It wasn't that she was sad; she was just quiet. He took her hand and pulled her to a quieter part of the hallway.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Destiny was surprised that Jack had taken her by the hand and that he was still holding it. She looked at their hands and the contrast between them: hers was small and brown; his was large and pale. To her surprise, she felt comfortable holding it and yet, holding it made her heart race a bit.

"Desi?"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm…fine." Destiny looked at their hands and released hers from Jack's grasp. "It's just I…never mind."

Jack decided to make her smile. "You're thinking about what you're going to wear on our first date?"

It worked. Soon, she forced herself to stop. "No."

"Then what?"

"Can I talked to you as Jack, my friend and not Jack the guy that likes to tease me by asking me out?"

"I'm not teasing you." Jack looked intensely at her eyes.

"Jack, I'm serious. You are the only person I can tell about this. People ask me about Matthew and I don't know what I'm supposed to say. I hear rumors that he's gone back to boarding school. I can't do anything to stop them. And then people ask me if we're still together and I didn't know what to say…until yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?" Jack felt his heart skip with fear. He wondered if Matthew had forgiven Destiny or worse, if he tried to come back to her.

"I got a letter from Matthew, asking me to let him go. He doesn't want to be with me."

"I'm sorry." Jack smiled broadly. He couldn't help himself.

"Jack, oh my gosh, stop smiling!" Still, his unexpected reaction caused her to smile, too.

"Oh right, I'm Jack, the friend." Immediately, he disguised his smile. "As Jack, the friend, I think you should get out there and start dating right away. It's the fastest way to heal."

"You are wrong for that. I need you to be serious." she said. Even still, she fought hard to fight back a laugh.

"Ok." He composed himself once more. "Are you going to be okay?

After releasing a deep breath, she said, "I think so."

"Cool. Don't worry, out of respect I'll wait until Monday to ask you if you want to go out with me."

"Jack, it's Friday." Destiny rolled her eyes in an obvious manner. She soon broke into a smile.

"I know. I'm giving you a whole weekend to get over the whole Matthew thing. That's like two weeks in teenager time…unless you think that's _too_ much time." He took her hand once more. "So, are you coming to my super secret football practice? Big day today: I'm carrying water and Gatorade today."

"As _amazing _as that sounds, I have to work at the club today. But I will be there for the big water carries on Saturday."

"That'll be good. Just don't tell Dani. My dad is going to flip out when he finds out I'm doing anything related to football."

"Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks Desi. You should probably get to the cafeteria. Shane and Neela will be worried about you."

"You can join us." Destiny wasn't ready for her time with Jack to end.

"I don't think Shane would like that. Besides, you don't need extra grief today. We'll have plenty of time together when we're dating." Jack learned from his dad years ago, that if you wanted something, you should go after it relentlessly. He wanted to date Destiny.

"Bye Jack." Slowly she released her hand from his. Then she headed to the cafeteria. After arriving there, she wished she had stayed with Jack. Shane and Neela peppered her with questions about Matthew and his whereabouts. They also quizzed her about why she was late. When she said she was talking to Jack, Shane accused her of being disloyal to both him and Matthew. He confessed that his dad told him that Matthew was ill and he told Destiny she was terrible for picking Jack over him and Matthew. Destiny was relieved when the bell rang for her next classes.

The next day, she sat in the front row of the football stadium and she watched as Jack hauled water and Gatorade to various members of the team. Destiny also noticed something else: Jack was fascinated by football. When he wasn't glancing at her, he was watching everything that was happening on the field. She decided to ask him about it after the game.

Jack was in a good mood as they walked to his car. "Did you see the way I poured that cup of Gatorade to the wide receiver after he caught that pass?"

"Yes. You were amazing." She reached out and took his hand. The surprised look on his face made her smile. A couple of seconds of silence fell between them; it was pleasant. Destiny broke the silence. "You know what's even more amazing is that you're the team's waterboy when you obviously wouldn't mind playing."

"You know they just don't let anyone on the team, right. Especially not a guy who has never played before."

"So, why do the water thing?"

"I don't know. It's a good way to learn the game…Maybe it's good way to have you all to myself on Saturdays and afterschool."

"You're so full of it." Destiny poked him in the arm.

They talked all the way to Destiny's house. This time Jack walked her to her door.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jack asked.

He pushed a strand of her hair behind shoulder. Something about the gesture made Destiny feel shy. She looked at her feet before looking at Jack once more.

"I'll be fine."

They simply stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Jack realized that if he really wanted a shot with Destiny, he needed to leave.

"I should go. I'll see you Monday."

Destiny watched as Jack began to walk away. When he was half way down the sidewalk, she called his name.

"Jack. If you ask me to go out with you on Monday, I'll probably say, "no.""

Stunned at her words, Jack froze in place. He wondered if he had totally misread their connection.

Then she quickly added, "but if you ask me again on Wednesday, I'll probably say, "yes."" She giggled before waving goodbye and heading into her house.

Once inside of the house, Destiny walked to the table where the letter from Matthew was sitting. She picked up the letter and then released from her hand into a nearby trashcan. If Matthew wanted her to move on, that was exactly what she planned to do.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi all, sorry for the delay (but I stayed up really late to make sure I got this one done today.). Matthew mention, but no Matthew yet. He's off healing. I really hope you enjoy. Thanks again for the replies. -K _

**The Plan – Chapter 10**

Jack ducked around the kitchen corner when he heard Tea on the telephone with Matthew's mother. He knew he shouldn't be listening, but Matthew was still his biggest potential competition when it came to winning Destiny's heart. While Jack had the advantage because Matthew was away recuperating, Matthew had the bigger advantage because he was Destiny's first love.

From what Jack was able to understand, Matthew was doing slightly better than when he went into the hospital, but he wasn't close to being 100 percent. Then he heard the worst news, Matthew could recover in as little as three months. Jack heard enough. Although it was only Tuesday and Jack promised that he would wait until Wednesday to ask Destiny out, he now felt as though he didn't have a minute to spare.

When he arrived at school, he lingered by his locker as he waited for Destiny to make it to arrive at her first class. Unfortunately, Destiny was running late. By the time Destiny arrived, Jack had no more than 60 seconds to make his plea. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her around the corner.

"Hey," he took a quick deep breath before he released what could only be described as verbal diarrhea, "I know I promised to wait until Wednesday and this is only Tuesday. But I figured if you were going to say yes on Wednesday, you might actually say yes on Tuesday. So, I thought I might as well ask you today."

Destiny smiled at Jack. Though he typically walked around with grand bravado, oozing confidence, now he seemed almost shy. Something about this new shyness brought out her inner flirt. "Jack, in about 30 seconds, I'm going to be late for class. So, in the interest of time, yes, I'll go out with you." The look of surprise on Jack's face made Destiny smile more. "Can we decide where and when after Spanish class?"

Jack nodded slowly. He wasn't exactly sure what just happened.

When Jack remained silent for more than a couple seconds, Destiny began to worry. "Wait. You were going to ask me out, right?" She relaxed when he nodded again. "Ok." She began to walk back toward the classroom. "See you later, JJ."

JJ. Jack remembered it was the name Destiny called him when he was younger. It was short for Jumping Jack because he used to dive off the arms of sofas and the backs of chairs. He thought she'd forgotten.

For most of first period, Destiny was completely unable to focus. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy. The joy stayed with her through all of second period and almost made it to third period. However, it disappeared when she ran into Taylor in the hallway.

"Hi, um, Destiny," Taylor's voice was soft. "Do you have a minute?"

"I guess so."

"I wanted to ask you about Matthew."

Destiny tilted her head to the side as she sized Taylor up. Part of her wondered if the girl was being nosey or whether she was really concerned. If she was concerned, why was she? In any case, Destiny had made up mind to move on from Matthew and the drama and she was determined to do so. "Matthew and I are no longer together, so I doubt I'm the right person to ask about him."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Matthew didn't mention it."

Destiny raised an eyebrow as she looked at Taylor. She wondered what Taylor's interest in Matthew was. "You and Matthew talk about _things_?"

"Sometimes." Taylor looked at her feet. "But I've only heard from him once since he's been gone."

"Oh, you only talked to _my boyfriend_ once since he's been gone? And what did you and _my boyfriend _talk about?"

Taylor's back straightened a bit as if she had _the nerve_ to be irritated with Destiny. "What we didn't talk about is how I see you holding hands with Jack Manning after football practice when you guys don't think anyone is watching. Besides, I thought you said you and Matthew broke up."

"I did." Destiny recognized the look on Taylor's face. It was the same look Destiny had when she learned that Dani had been cheating on Matthew by kissing Nate. Destiny needed to set Taylor straight. "Look, Jack and I are only hanging out, which we didn't start to do until Matthew made it clear that he didn't want to be with me."

Taylor twisted her mouth into a half frown. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Destiny pushed her hair behind an ear. "You still didn't say what you and Matthew were talking about."

"Matthew wanted to know how you were doing. He asked me if you seemed okay. I told him I thought you were fine."

"And he never mentioned he broke up with me?"

"No."

Taylor touched Destiny's arm. "Look, I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I was just wondering how Matthew was doing. I won't bother you anymore."

Destiny felt like she'd entered the twilight zone. Matthew asked Taylor to check on her. Yet, Matthew refused to talk to her himself.

By the time Spanish class rolled around Destiny was in a bit of a daze. Jack noticed right away, but he waited until after class to mention it.

"You okay, Desi? Did you change your mind about our date?"

"No," she hesitated, "I heard something about Matthew today that has me a little confused."

"Confused about me?"

Destiny pondered Jack's question for a minute. He had been the one bright spot throughout the whole mess with Matthew. If Jack hadn't become more present in her life when he had, Destiny wasn't sure what she would have done. "No…not even a little."

"Good, 'cause I like you."

Jack's straightforwardness sent a chill up her spine and brought a smile to her face. She was immediately grateful for the dark hue of her chocolate-colored skin because without it, she was certain that the heat that she felt at her cheeks would have resulted in a rather obvious blush. "Then don't leave now. Come eat lunch with me."

Although Jack could care less about Shane's feelings, he suspected that Matthew kept Destiny emotionally twisted enough that she didn't need the extra drama of alienating her friends because of him. "What about Shane?"

"Something tells me Shane is going to have to get used to seeing us together."

"Yeah?" Jack pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Then he allowed his hand to trail down her cheek before returning it to his side. Destiny surprised him by slipping her hand into his own.

"Yeah."

"Oh my gosh!" Dani yelled, seemingly out of nowhere causing both Jack and Destiny to jump. "Are my best friend and my brother holding hands even though neither of them has told me they have something going on?"

"Um…" Destiny started to speak but she couldn't quite find the words. Instead, she fought back a smile. "I should get to lunch before Shane and Neela wonder where I am."

"No, I'll go." Jack smirked. Dani would have plenty of time to grill him at their dad's house. "You have fun with the third degree."

"You brat." Destiny laughed. "I can't believe you're going to leave me here with your sister."

"She's your best friend." Jack laughed. "I'll see you Saturday." He tapped her nose before he left.

Destiny watched as Jack walked away. Dani watched Destiny watch Jack. When he was out of earshot, Dani poked Destiny in the arm.

"Okay Missy, you're standing Shane and Neela up. We are going to the Buenos Dias for lunch."

Destiny sent a text to Shane then headed to the Buenos Dias with Dani. For the first five minutes that they were there, Dani could only manage to stare at Destiny and grin. Finally, she chuckled to herself.

"What?" Destiny asked.

"I knew something was up with the two of you. Jack has been nice to everyone for the last couple of weeks. He's actually been walking around the house humming."

"Really?" Destiny smiled. She liked knowing that she was having a similar effect on Jack as he was having on her.

"Yeah. And don't think you had me fooled either. I've totally seen you checking him out and I've heard rumors about the two of you holding hands at various locations." Dani shoved a fry in her mouth. "Why didn't you tell me? I'm your best friend."

"And he's your younger brother. I was kind of having trouble wrapping my mind around. Plus, how do you tell your best friend you're into her _little_ brother?"

"Oh my gosh, Des!" Dani threw her hands in the air in mock exasperation. "It's Jack, not Sam, he's a year younger than us, not to mention 6 feet tall...hardly my _little_ brother. And although you would think it might totally weird me out, I actually think you guys are adorable. I mean he's had a crush on you forever, though he would never admit it."

"He has?" Destiny leaned in closer to Dani. "Are you kidding?"

"Of course not." Dani said matter-of-factly. "But I have to tell you that you can't go out with Jack on Saturday."

"I thought you were cool with me seeing Jack."

"I am, totally cool with it. But Blair is throwing Jack a surprise family birthday party. She says she wanted to do it because he's turned around his attitude and behavior since all of the Shane stuff. So, she told him that she needs him to babysit Sam at 8 on Saturday night. When he comes over, we're all going to be there." Dani tapped her finger against her lip. "Unless, you tell Jack that you'll help babysit Sam."

"I can do that. Jack knows I love Sam." Destiny liked the idea of doing something to make Jack smile. He'd made her smile plenty of times in the last few weeks.

Though Matthew crossed Destiny's mind a few times throughout the week, Destiny anxiously looked forward to her date with Jack. When Saturday arrived Destiny was calm and relaxed as she got ready. Jack on the other hand was quite nervous. He looked down at his hands and he was surprised to see they were sweating.

"Big date?" Todd asked as he watched Jack straighten his tie.

Jack wasn't in the mood for any words of wisdom, so he tried to downplay the importance of the night. "Uh yeah…I guess."

"You guess? You're wearing a tie and too much cologne. Not to mention your hands are bright red."

"Thanks dad."

"Look let me give you some words of advice. Open doors for her, tell her she looks nice and remember that no means no."

"So you've reminded me since I was 10." Jack hated when his dad acted like rape was genetic. He knew his dad's past and that his dad was ashamed of it. Jack had no intention of ever hurting Destiny. "I'm not going to hurt her."

"Okay, okay…" Todd reached into his wallet and pulled out several hundred-dollar bills.

"What's this for?"

"For stealing Nora's kid's girlfriend." Todd chuckled. "You know, I like her. She's fierce. Reminds me of your stepmother and your mom."

"Dad, we're not getting married…tonight. It's our first date. Take it down a notch."

"Okay, whatever." Todd shrugged and disappeared into another room of the house.

Though Jack played it cool with his dad, he took and released a deep breath as soon as he got into his car. A million questions ran through his mind. He forgot them all as soon as Destiny opened her front door. She wore a blue v-neck dress that stopped above her knees. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, exposing her neck.

"You look amazing." For a second he was afraid he would be unable to catch his breath. He handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"Thanks." Destiny smiled at the compliment. "You went all out, flowers and a tie. But you didn't need to do all that. Spending time with you is enough."

Jack wondered how she knew his innermost fear that he wasn't enough for anyone. It was part of the reason for his bravado most days. Her words should have calmed him; instead, they made him more nervous.

Everything changed at dinner. They went to a small Italian restaurant, not owned by anyone they knew and they talked. They sat on the same side of their booth. They talked about what she wanted to study in college: law or journalism. She tried to get him to admit he loved football; he came close to an admission but stopped short.

Near the end of dinner, Jack grew very serious. "Desi, I know you aren't completely over Matthew, but I want you to know that I understand. We can take things as slowly as you want…as long as I get to be around you. I want to hear you laugh and see you smile and get some of that attitude you like to give off sometimes."

"Right, and you're sugar and spice all the time?"

He laughed and grew serious once more. "All I'm saying is that over the last couple of weeks, you've become a better friend than I've had in my entire life. I don't want to lose that."

Destiny sighed as she remembered Matthew's frequent use of the friend card. She hoped she hadn't misread Jack as she had done with Matthew so many times. "So, you want to be friends?"

"Among other things." Jack felt the fire rage beneath his cheeks. He looked down before he realized she was still looking at him. "I mean, don't all your girlie magazines say your boyfriend should be your best friend?"

Destiny smiled widely. "So, you want to be my boyfriend?" She poked him in the arm. "It's a little soon don't you think? We should at least wait until our second date to talk about something so serious."

"Ha, ha. I wasn't asking you to be my girlfriend…tonight. But, I can see the way you're looking at me. You've got that "he's sexy" look in your eyes."

Destiny opened her mouth in shock, partly due to Jack's words and partly due to him reading her mind. She laughed. "Oh, is that right? You're pretty sure of yourself."

"I'm pretty sure that you're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time and so, I'm not going to do anything to mess up what we have between us."

Destiny thought about the ways she had been hurt by Matthew, even though she believed he might have loved her in his own way. "Promise?"

Jack nodded. "Promise."

Destiny stared at Jack feeling in that moment that she could trust him with her life. As he focused on her mouth, she readied herself for their first kiss. Unfortunately, their waiter interrupted with a question about dessert. Finding that the mood was completely broken, Jack paid the bill and drove them to his house.

It was Destiny's turn to be nervous. She'd known every member of Jack's family for years…except for his mom. After a perfect dinner, she really wanted Ms. Kramer to like her. When they arrived at LaBoule, Jack pulled into the driveway, but they didn't get out of the car right away. She planned to confess her nervousness to Jack, but she was surprised when Jack had a confession of his own.

"So, when we get inside, my family is going to jump out and wish me a happy birthday."

"Jack! Who did you eavesdrop on this time?"

"My mom." He looked at the way Destiny stared at him. "What? It's a bad habit. I'll work on it."

"What am I going to do with you?" She smiled.

"Well, I have an idea…" He ran his finger across her bottom lip. Once more he began to lean in toward her mouth. He stopped when he was only a couple of inches away to make sure Destiny was okay. When she offered a smile, he placed a tender kiss on her lips.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hi all thanks for the replies. So sorry for the delays between updates. I've just been super busy. Jack and Destiny's relationship deepens a bit and things are changing for Jack…and Destiny. This one is more about Jack, next one will focus more on Destiny, especially because Matthew will be back next chapter. Hope you enjoy. As usual, I'll correct any typos in the morning._

**The Plan – Chapter 11**

An NFL football game was a place Jack Manning never expected to find himself. Yet, now that he was here with Destiny by his side, it felt like perfection. Destiny surprised him on his birthday with tickets to the Eagles' game. He'd never been more excited about anything, except for maybe the first time he and Destiny kissed. Though she'd given him the tickets on Tuesday, it seemed to like it had taken two weeks to get to Sunday. There was only one catch: they were having dinner at her parents' house after the game.

Dinner with the Evans' family promised to be interesting, Shaun, Destiny's brother was his dad's personal bodyguard and he had known him for years. Still, he knew Shaun was super-protective of Destiny. He also knew Shaun could break either him or any other that was interested in Destiny in half. It also didn't help that her dad was a prison guard, which also implied he was pretty tough as well. Part of him was afraid they would hate him. Maybe they would tell Destiny that she couldn't see him anymore. He shook the thought from his head.

"Jack, are you okay?" Destiny noticed that Jack was no longer as into the game as he had been earlier.

He wondered how she was able to read him so easily. "I'm fine." He kissed her forehead and pulled her closer. The weather had changed mid-week and it was now distinctly Fall. As he felt Destiny snuggled at his side, he was glad for the change.

"I was actually thinking about dinner later. Guessing your parents are going to hate me."

"Just be yourself, JJ. You know the _real_ you. The guy that's sweet and considerate and adorable." She poked his cheek before kissing the same spot.

"_Desi_," Jack whispered, "We're at a football game. I'm losing all my guy points here."

Destiny giggled. "Okay, but don't plan on kissing me in the car before dinner. I don't want a repeat of last week."

Destiny thought back to meeting Jack's mom for the first time. She thought things were going well until his dad asked Jack somewhat loudly when he and Destiny started wearing the same color of lipstick. She'd only even worn lipstick, instead of her traditional lip-gloss, to impress Jack's mom.

Destiny wanted to creep back to Jack's car and hide under the floor mats. Jack's mom chastised his dad and told Destiny to ignore Todd, but Destiny was still embarrassed. She seriously doubted her parents would let them off that easy.

"Your lipstick on my face in your parents house? No way, trust me. I have no desire to have your brother or your dad snap me in half."

"You'll be fine."

Jack was, in fact, fine. After the game, he picked up flowers for Destiny's mom, just as his mom instructed him to do. When they arrived at the Evans' household, the flowers scored major brownie points with Felicia Evans, while Jack's excitement about the Eagles game won over Destiny's dad and her brother, Shaun.

The family also got a chuckle out of the way Jack voraciously devoured multiple plates of food, which also warmed Felicia's heart. When Jack had finished his second plate of lasagna and was headed for his third, Shaun began to laugh. He said loudly, "Dang! Boy, were you raised by wolves?"

Jack laughed as he heaped more lasagna on his plate. "You've met my parents and you still need to ask?"

The entire group began to laugh. During the evening, Jack mentioned that he wanted very much to take Destiny to Homecoming the following weekend. Destiny's family then mentioned that Homecoming happened to fall on the same day as the dance. Still, Destiny's father said the choice was up to Destiny. Neither discussed the dance any further until Destiny walked Jack to his car that evening.

Jack held her hand as they stood outside of his new birthday present, a shiny, black BMW x6. Leaning back, he rested against the side of the vehicle. He smiled at Destiny. When Jack received a smile in return, he pulled Destiny closer to him.

"I like your family." Jack said before lifting a hand to Destiny's cheek. He absentmindedly toyed with a long strand of her hair.

"They liked you, too…even my mom." Felicia Evans had not been Matthew's greatest fan. So, it shocked Destiny greatly when it became very apparent that she liked Jack. It hadn't hurt that he'd eaten like she was the iron chef.

"Really?" Jack beamed. Someone actually liked him…and he hadn't had to pretend to be anyone but himself. "So, what do you want to do for your birthday? Are we going to Homecoming or hanging out with your family?"

The decision for Destiny was an easy one. After years of hoping a boy she liked would take her to a school dance, she was now standing very close to a boy she _really_ liked and who was asking to take her to a dance. "The dance…definitely."

"Then," Jack said, before leaned and gave her a gentle peck on the lips, "it's a date. The big question is whether I'm going with my friend Destiny or my girlfriend, Destiny." Jack shifted his back against the

"That's up to you. But I'd like to go to homecoming with my boyfriend, Jack."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Destiny ran her hands along Jack's sides before finally allowing them to rest at his waist. She prepared for Jack to kiss her again until she heard Shaun's voice.

"Stay on my good side, Jack."

Jack shifted nervously. "Yeah, got it Shaun."

Destiny turned and faced her brother. "Shaun, go back inside…."

"It's fine Desi. I gotta get home. Coach Gibson wants to see me before school tomorrow." He kissed her forehead and hopped inside his car.

The next day, Destiny worried when she didn't see Jack at his locker the next morning. And there was no response to the text she sent him. After her experience with Matthew, she wondered if Jack changed his mind about being her boyfriend. When she saw him a few minutes before Spanish class, he was obviously distracted. She decided to wait until class was over. As they made their traditional walk toward the cafeteria, Destiny decided to find out what was wrong.

"So Jack, what's going on? Have you changed your mind about homecoming…or is it something else?"

"It's definitely something else." He walked beside her without holding her hand, something he had done ever since their first date.

Destiny stopped in her tracks as she prepared to hear the bad news. "Have you changed your mind about us?"

It was Jack's turn to freeze. For a second he had to process what she was saying. "What? Of course not. I'd have to be an idiot to not want to be with you. " He reached out a hand and waited for her to take it. When she complied, he pulled her closer to him. "I like seeing this face and being able to kiss it." He gave her a peck on the lips.

The gesture made Destiny blush. When she recovered, she interlaced her fingers with Jack's. "So, tell me what's going on with you."

"Coach Gibson wants me to play football. He says he's seen me tossing the ball around with Chase after practice."

"After practice when you're trying to impress me?"

"Yeah, and you know you were impressed."

"Maybe I was…maybe…"

"You were."

"Anyway," Destiny rolled her eyes in a dramatic fashion. "What did you tell Coach Gibson?"

"I told him that my girlfriend has her heart set on going to Homecoming with the waterboy and not a second string wide receiver."

"Very funny. What's the real reason you told him no?"

"Have you seen my dad lose it? There's no way he's going to let me play."

"Maybe if you tell him how much you like it."

"How do you know I like it?"

"Because I know you, JJ. Maybe if you just tell your dad how much you like it.."

Jack sighed loudly. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine. Let's go to the cafeteria and not talk about it there." Destiny was determined that Jack would finally join her for lunch with Shane and Neela. Part of her needed to show the people who were important to her, like Shane, that Jack was important to her. Another part of her needed to see that Jack was over Neela.

"Come on Desi, you know it's just going to tick Shane off."

In all honesty, Destiny didn't know how Shane was going to react. She hadn't hidden her relationship with Jack. After Jack asked her out, she told Shane that she planned to go out with him. Shane refused to speak to her for three days. When he finally talked to her again, he called her disloyal. He'd called her over the weekend to apologize, but also to ask her to reconsider her decision. Though she refused, Shane told her he would try to support her as her friend. "If Shane doesn't want you stay then we can go."

"We?"

"You're important to me. We stay or go together."

Destiny led Jack by the hand to the table where Shane and Neela were sitting. Jack was the first to speak.

"Hey."

"Hey." Shane frowned at Jack. Neela squeezed his hand.

Jack felt bad. Because of him Shane lost his mother and most of his self-respect. Jack felt bad that Shane felt bad. Feeling ashamed of his own actions made Jack feel even worse. This was Destiny's fault, she expected him to be decent. He offered a solution. "Shane, I can go if you want."

"You can stay. Destiny's my friend. She shouldn't have to suffer because we can't get along."

Destiny stood and gave Shane a hug. Jack hated it until he received a kiss on the cheek. Although Jack and Shane spoke no more than three words to each other and Neela and Jack spoke even less, the four of them made it through lunch.

The rest of the week went fairly smoothly. Destiny only dragged Jack to lunch once more. He and Shane managed to speak two sentences to each other. And Destiny got ready for Homecoming. Ultimately, she and Jack decided to double with Dani and Nate, who made a guest appearance from LU.

Jack dutifully carried the water for the football team throughout the Homecoming game, which they won 13-10. It was an emotional game, particularly after Jonas Montgomery, Llanview High's star receiver got hurt. Jack knew that meant he would soon get more pressure about playing football from the coach.

The pressure came almost immediately. The coach approached him while he was still cleaning up the cups after the game. He politely declined once more. What he didn't expect was Chase's reaction. Apparently, he was standing behind Jack when Jack was talking to the coach.

"Come on Jacky, join the team. We need you."

"I thought you needed me to be the water boy?"

"That was before I knew you were good. I've seen you when we're tossing the ball around for your girl. You know you want to play. If you're worried about the stupid bet…"

"I'm not." Jack lied.

"Good…because I'm not going to tell Destiny. I like her. She makes you tolerable. Your two weeks of bliss have made me consider settling down."

"Right." Jack didn't buy it for a second. Chase had a different girlfriend every week.

"Look just think about it."

Later that afternoon, Jack showered and changed into a navy blue suit with a light blue shirt. He smacked some aftershave on his face and yelled for his sister, Dani. At their parents request they agreed to ride to Homecoming together. After arguments throughout the week, Dani and Nate finally agreed to ride with Jack in _his_ car, since it was nicer than her boyfriend's pickup. He then grabbed the box that contained Destiny's birthday present.

The moment Destiny saw Jack at her door her heart began to race. He looked so handsome. "Hi," she spoke softly.

"Desi, you look amazing."

She twirled giving him an opportunity to see her royal blue, strapless dress with the flouncy skirt. Her hair hung in loose curls at her shoulders.

"Happy birthday." Jack handed her the small box that contained the present he picked out for Destiny the week before.

Destiny unwrapped the present. Inside, she found a beautiful sterling silver bracelet with a heart charm at the end. "It's beautiful."

"Happy birthday," Jack said once more before kissing her lips.

When they arrived at the dance, Destiny felt as though she was living in a dream. All eyes were on her and Jack. She felt like Cinderella. When they danced, he twirled her around before pulling her close to him. To top it off, her best friend, Dani, was thrilled to be with them. Shane even managed a few cordial words.

And then the moment of truth came and it was time to crown Homecoming King and Queen. The positions were always held by Seniors. Jack's friend, Chance, was named Homecoming King. Chance had come with Taylor, much to Destiny's irritation. And as a result, she had to make more conversation with the girl than she wanted. Destiny waited for Taylor's name to be called. And then something unexpected happened. She heard her own name called.

"You better get up there, Desi."

"There must be a mistake."

"Nope. " Jack grinned. "You're popular now. Get used to it."

Destiny slowly walked onto the stage, all the while waiting for some horrible prank to be played. But no prank happened. After a brief dance with Chase, Destiny found herself back in Jack's arms. She rested her head against his chest.

"Are you having a good birthday, Desi?"

"Maybe the best one I've ever had." She leaned her head back and looked Jack. "Why do I think you had something to do with this?" She pointed to the crown.

"Who me?" The truth was he had started weeks before encouraging all of his friends to vote for Destiny as Homecoming queen. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you like to make me happy."

"Maybe I do." He kissed her.

That evening as Jack walked Destiny to her door. They held hands. When they arrived at her door, they just stood looking at each other. Jack touched her cheek.

"I had the best time tonight." Destiny's enormous brown eyes stared at Jack.

"Me too. I never expected…" Jack looked away.

"You never expected what…for me to be Homecoming Queen?" Destiny stared at her feet.

"No," Jack said softly before lifting her chin with his finger. "I never expected to fall in love with you so fast."


	12. Chapter 12

_Thanks for all of the previous reviews. I have to be up in less than four hours, but I wanted to finish and post this chapter.__ Very little Matthew, but he's back. He'll be fully back next chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated._

**The Plan- Chapter 12**

Jack could kick himself. He never intended to tell Destiny so suddenly that he loved her, only two weeks into their relationship. After his confession, Destiny looked shell-shocked, but she gave him a hug.

"Jack, I really like you…really, but-"

"Oh."

"I might even, you know…but it seems like as soon as I fell in love with Matthew, things got messed up."

"I'm not Matthew."

"I know." She took both of his hands into her own. "But it doesn't make me less scared of being hurt. I need us to take this slowly."

"That's fine." Jack released one of her hands before lifting her chin so that he could have her full attention. "As long as you know that I'm never going to hurt you."

"Promise?" Destiny's voice cracked.

"I promise." He leaned down and kissed her.

It didn't take long for Destiny to give into her feelings. Less than a week later. Jack was at her parents' house for Thursday night football, something Destiny expected would become a routine. She and Jack sat side by side as they watched the first half of the game. Because her dad and Shawn were there, they avoided snuggling and mushy stuff. Jack disappeared in the kitchen during halftime. Destiny grew concerned when Jack hadn't returned by the end of the third quarter. She wandered into the kitchen to ask her mom whether she had seen Jack.

What Destiny found when she entered the kitchen caught her totally off-guard. Jack was sitting behind a fresh Boston Crème pie with a fork, a smile and chocolate all over his mouth. Leaning against the doorframe, Destiny watched as her flattered mother scooped another scoop of vanilla ice cream directly into the pie pan.

While he ate, Jack managed to release grunts of flattering comments like, "so good," or "amazing." Destiny could only laugh as she watched Jack totally engrossed in dessert. Finally, he swallowed most of a glass of milk. "Mrs. E., you are amazing. You should sell these."

"I don't need to sell them." Felicia smiled at him. "Making them makes me happy."

"You could still get paid! Do you know how many poor, deprived kids there are out there with mothers who don't cook?"

As soon as Destiny heard Jack's drama, she left out a loud laugh. Her mother also laughed. Instead of laughing, Jack remained silent and his cheeks reddened. Felicia patted Jack's head then left the room.

Destiny picked up a fork and dug into the pie. "I should have known I would find you near the food."

"I can't help it. It's amazing." Jack watched as Destiny moved the fork toward the pie once more. He quickly moved the plate away. "You laughed at me. Get your own pie."

"You say you love me and you won't share your pie?" Destiny crossed her arms in front of her. "That's okay, I love you even if you won't share."

For a minute, Jack wasn't sure he heard Destiny correctly. "What did you say?"

"I said, "I love you." And I really do." She leaned across the table and kissed him tenderly. Then she picked up her fork, only to be surprised when he moved the pie plate away from her again. "Hey!" she shouted with surprise.

"Desi, I love you, but you can't have my pie."

Destiny pushed his arm. And he pulled the pie away from her again. Poking a lip out, she pretended to pout. In response, Jack picked up a forkful of pie and moved it toward her mouth. When the pie was practically close enough for her to taste, the fork took a detour into his own mouth.

"You brat!" Destiny yelled before she burst into a fit of giggles.

"You know you love me."

"Yeah, I do."

Jack pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before engaging her in a serious kiss. When they finally broke for air, he said nothing. Instead, he pushed the pie plate between the two of them, handed her a fork and smiled.

The next day at school, Jack told Destiny that once again the coach approached him about playing football. Only this time, he gave in. The coach had convinced Jack well over a week before to become an active participant in the team's practices. He knew most of the plays and there was a chance he could actually play in Saturday's game.

"I think you should talk to your dad." Destiny held Jack's hand as they walked from the lunchroom. Their clasped-together hands, swung back and forth in a gentle rhythm neither of them noticed. "You don't know what he's going to say until you talk to him."

"Uh, you've met my dad. Do you really think he's going to change his mind?" Jack stopped walking so he could face Destiny. "Look Desi, what's the point of ticking him off when I might not even play?"

"What if you do something amazing tomorrow? Your dad owns a newspaper…with a sports section. He's going to find out." Destiny had seen Jack practice. He jumped with a grace and the vertical leap of a trained athlete. There was no way he was going to play without attracting a lot of attention and she knew it. She also knew it would be worse for him if his father found out about him playing after the fact. Now, she had 24 hours to convince Jack to do the right thing or she'd have to watch him suffer through World War III.

"Let's change the subject. Are you still going to babysit Sam and Hope with me tonight?"

"Of course. You know I love Sam and I'm sure Hope is going to be just as much fun."

Destiny glanced at her watch. "I have to go or I'm going to be late for Physics. I'll catch you later?" Destiny began to leave when she realized that Jack hadn't released her hand.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Destiny smiled and returned to Jack's arms. She stood on her toes and waited for him to kiss her, which he did…gladly. Once more, she began to leave only to find that Jack continued to hold her hand.

"I wasn't asking if you forgot to do something, I was asking if you forgot to say something."

Destiny giggled and pretended to roll her eyes. "Oh that."

Jack ran his hand along the side of her cheek. "Yeah that."

"Fine. I love you, JJ."

"I love you, too." Jack kissed her forehead. "I'll see you, later."

He watched as she walked away. As he did, he tried to fight the smile that was already forming.

Later that evening, after they'd played six games Checkers and Chutes and Ladders, three games of Risk and two more games of Uno with Sam combined with a tea party or two with Hope, it was time to put the kiddies in bed. They both flopped on the sofa. Destiny scooted closer to Jack and wrapped her arms around his stomach. She rested her head on his chest and listened to the faint rhythm of his heartbeat. When she looked into his vibrant green eyes that were intensely peering at her, their lips followed a natural path to each other.

Being with Jack made Destiny feel a safety and confidence that she'd never felt before. As they kissed, she made a move to deepen the kiss by slipping her tongue across his lips and into his mouth. To her surprise, Jack moved away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Destiny looked down at her hands; she was completely embarrassed.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I just think it's not a great idea for us to make out with no one home. I mean, what if things go too far?"

After feeling trapped in a sexual relationship with Matthew, the last thing Destiny wanted was to move too fast with Jack. Still, she was confident that they could control themselves. "Trust me, I don't want things to go too far, either. But, we're not alone. Hope and Sam are upstairs. What do you think is going to happen with the kids in the house?"

"I don't know." Jack moved from the sofa and began to pace. "I mean what if we start making out and you want me to stop…and I can't?" Jack stopped pacing in front of a photograph of his dad that was resting on the fireplace. "I don't want to hurt you."

Destiny's heart broke as she realized Jack was afraid that he would commit a heinous crime like rape, just because his father had done so twenty years before. She stood and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned her head against his back and spoke softly. "You are not your dad. You're not going to make his same mistakes."

Jack pulled away from her. "How can you be so sure Destiny? I've already killed Shane's mom and already made Shane want to kill himself. Looks like I've got his football skills. You don't know what else I inherited."

"Stop it!" Destiny said firmly. "I know who you are. You are a good person. Yes, you made a mistake, but you've been making up for it everyday. You are your own person…and I like the man you are."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She took his hand and pulled him back to the sofa. "Now, kiss me."

They kissed until things got a bit heated. And when they did, Jack retreated to the kitchen to make smoothies while Destiny picked a movie. Much to Jack's dismay, she picked _The Notebook_. Both his mother and his stepmother had watched the movie a hundred times. Still, he would indulge her anything, so he sat beside her without a single complaint.

An hour into the movie, Destiny was in tears. Jack smiled as he teased her about being emotional. Still, the tears kept coming. In fact, she was crying so hard that neither she nor Jack heard Tea and Todd come in. Todd rushed into the room.

"What's going on? What did you do to her?"

"Nothing!" Jack defended himself.

"He didn't do anything!" Destiny now knew the source of Jack's identity issues and she was furious. Todd was so worried about his son turning into him that he was practically going to cause him to turn into him. She was furious. "Mr. Manning, Jack is not you. He has a good heart and so much love inside. You have to stop treating him like this."

"Look, I get that you're Jack's girlfriend and you think you know him, but I'm his dad."

"And he's not you."

Todd moved closer to Destiny. "You think you know so much? How many kids do you have?"

"Dad!" Jack yelled at him.

Todd was ticked. He spoke quickly as he typically did when he was angry. "No, let her answer. Because unless there's something I don't know, she doesn't have any kids and she doesn't know what she's talking about."

"I don't know what I'm talking about? I know your son is an amazing football player but because you keep trying to make your issues his, he doesn't want to tell you."

Todd looked at Jack in disbelief. "You're playing football?"

Jack couldn't believe Destiny ratted him out. He knew she meant well, but he still felt as though she betrayed him. He looked at Destiny and then his Dad before walking out of the door. Todd followed him.

Destiny wanted to follow Jack and Todd, too. She could tell Jack was angry by the look on her face. And though it was less intense and definitely less intentional, she knew Jack felt as betrayed as Matthew had. She needed to get to him and explain that she hadn't meant to tell. But as she moved toward the door, she felt Tea's hand on her arm.

"No, Mija. Jack and Todd need to work this out for themselves."

Destiny's tears returned. "What if he hates me for telling?"

Tea smiled. "Jack isn't going to hate you. He'll probably feel better when he can play without worrying about whether his dad is going to find out and make him quit the team."

"What if Mr. Manning says he can't play? It'll be all my fault."

"Destiny, Jack will play. You leave that part to me. What you did was very brave. Not many people stand up to Todd." Tea held Destiny's hands. "Mija, I need to ask a favor of you that may require you to be brave again."

Tea's tone scared Destiny. Still, Destiny knew Tea loved her nearly as much as she loved Dani and so she nodded slowly. "What is it?"

"Matthew is going to plead guilty next week. I need your help. I need you to testify at Matthew's sentencing hearing."

"Testify? For Matthew?" Destiny thought of some of the issues she'd had with him before he went to the hospital. "I'm not sure I'm the right person."

"Sweetie, I know it will be hard, but Matthew can use your help."

"Did he ask you to ask me?" Destiny sank to the sofa.

"No, he asked me not to." Tea joined her on the sofa.

Destiny wiped a tear that was forming at the corner of her eyes. "Before I give you an answer, I need to see him."

"I don't think he's going to want visitors."

"Ms Delgado, I'm sorry but this is not negotiable."

"I'll see what I can do."

Eight hours later, before Jack's big football game, Destiny stood with her hand on Matthew's hospital room door. A male orderly stood behind her. She opened it slowly and began to move inside.

"This door stays open." The orderly said with a gruff voice before he left.

Destiny looked around the room until she spotted Matthew sitting in a corner on a plain desk chair. He looked thin and he had faint traces of facial hair along his cheeks. Matthew was the first to speak.

"Hi." Matthew stared at her intently. "I almost couldn't believe it when Tea said you were coming."

A hundred emotions raced through Destiny's body. She hadn't expected her emotions to overtake her at the sight of Matthew, but now they were threatening to. This was the boy she once loved, the one who was once her best friend. She took a step toward the door. "Now that I'm here, this feels like a bad idea. I should go."

As she turned to leave, she felt Matthew touch her arm. "Wait, please don't go."


	13. Chapter 13

Happy 4th everyone. Matthew is back and the stakes are getting a little higher. This is only the beginning of what Jestiny is going to face. They may be having their first fight soon. Some asked what happened to the charges against Jack. They are still pending, but they will become more of an issue after Matt's charges have been dealt with. I hope this chapter is too long. Thanks so much for all of your feedback. I really appreciate it.

**The Plan-Chapter 13**

Matthew's hand touched Destiny's arm before she fully reached the open door of his room. "Wait Des, please don't go."

As she debated her next move, Destiny stared into the hallway where she saw the orderlies in their all white uniforms. For a second, she thought of how bad things could get for Matthew if she caused a scene or left too abruptly. Mostly, she was surprised by the request. "You want me to stay?"

Matthew glanced at his feet and then at Destiny. "Yeah."

She moved from the door to a part of the room that would afford them a small bit of privacy.

"Why do you want me to stay when you didn't want me to come in the first place?"

"I didn't want you to see me like this." Matthew's eyes caught Destiny's momentarily before he quickly looked away.

"Like what?" She stared at him. He'd lost quite a few pounds and his hair was longer, but he was still handsome…still Matthew.

"Come on Des," Matthew said with a smirk. "Are you really going to tell me I look fine? I think we've been friends long enough that we can be honest with each other."

"Okay," Destiny conceded. "You don't look great, but Matthew, I've seen you in worse shape. You actually told me to stay away. I was your girlfriend…"

"Yeah, the same girlfriend that I trusted with the biggest secret of my life, only to have her rat me out to my parents." Although his words felt harsh, there was no trace of anger in them.

Still, they felt like a knife to Destiny's heart. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do." She walked toward the small desk where Matthew was sitting when she walked in. "I get that I should have done things differently but I was so-"

"Overwhelmed." He gave her a half-smile to relay his understanding. "Yeah, I know."

Anger filled her veins and her pulse began to race. "Then why did you dump me with a letter?"

"Because I was hurt. It took me being in here to see what I put you through. Des, I'm so sorry. I took advantage of you in so many ways." Matthew's voice was filled with emotion. "I knew seeing you would remind me of how I hurt you. How could I face you knowing how I treated you?"

Water rose to the brims of Destiny's eyes. She turned her back, just in case her watering eyes produced tears. She looked down at the desk. Suddenly, she saw something that caught her completely off guard: a photo of her as Homecoming queen.

"Where did you get this?" Spinning on her heels and holding the photo in her hand, she demanded answers.

Matthew seemed unphased. "Shane emailed it to me and I printed it."

"Why?"

"Because it made me feel closer to you…without worrying about hurting you." He moved closer to her before taking the picture from her hand. "Homecoming Queen, wow. I wish I could have been there. You looked great." His eyes roamed her body. "You still do."

Destiny squirmed under Matthew's gaze. Then, gratefully, her phone rang. She knew from the sound of the ringtone that it was Jack. Why was he calling now instead of answering the three calls she made to him last night? She knew he was angry because of what she said to his dad. When he learned that she visited Matthew, he was only going to be angrier. With one touch of a button she sent Jack's call to voicemail.

"Jack?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah. I guess you know…"

"That the two of you are together?" He nodded before he placed her picture on his desk. "Yeah. I never expected you to wait for me, but it kind of hurt to know that the two of you were official less than three weeks after I was gone."

"I didn't plan to fall for Jack, it just happened."

"So, you're in love with him?"

"Yes." As she thought about Jack, she moved out of such close proximity with Matthew. She took a few steps aside and examined the barren room. It reminded her of the purpose of her visit. "Tea asked me to testify at your sentencing hearing. I'm here because I needed to decide if I should do it."

"About what?"

"I don't know, maybe as a character witness or about how everything changed you. She didn't say."

Matthew spoke softly, "I hope the answer is no."

"Why would you say that?" Destiny practically yelled.

"Because you've been through enough because of me." Matthew appeared to be searching for more words, but the ringing of Destiny's phone interrupted him. "You should probably answer that."

Destiny looked between her phone and Matthew; she decided to answer. "JJ, I'm really sorry about yesterday, but I need to call you back."

Jack heard the tension in her voice and he wondered if she was okay. "Are you still coming to the game?"

"Of course."

"Can you meet me by the bleachers right before?"

"Yes, but I really need to go."

Destiny hung up. She looked at Matthew once more. "I have go. And you should eat." She poked at Matthew through the loose fabric of his t-shirt.

He smiled at the gesture. "Will you be back?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yeah, I miss my best friend."

Destiny patted his arm and then she left without a word. A million thoughts swirled through her mind as she drove to the football stadium. Some were about Matthew; some were about Jack. Some were even about Jack's dad. She wondered if he was going to be at the game and how Jack would react if he weren't.

Her answer came in the form of a stoic Todd Manning sitting on the end of the front row of bleachers. Her mind flashed to the things she said to him. Her mother would have a cow if she knew. In Felicia's home, you respected your elders, even if it was Todd Manning.

"Mr. Manning, I need to apologize for what I said to you. I overstepped my bounds. I'm sorry."

Todd, who had looked forward from the time she began speaking, turned and looked at her. "Sit." When she hesitated, he spoke again, "Sit…right here next to me. Evans, you like to talk, so we're going to talk."

Destiny's heart began to race. Todd had a reputation for being intense.

Todd spoke calmly, "So, maybe you had a point about me and Jack. But your approach was all wrong."

"I know…"

Placing a solitary finger in the air, he interrupted her. "I said sit, not talk. I get that you want to protect Jack. I even like it. But, let me give you a piece of advice, no one likes it when someone else makes decisions for them. I may have been doing that with Jack and football, but you did it when you told me he was playing football."

Destiny nodded.

To her surprise, Todd seemed to change the subject. "Jack tells me you might want to major in journalism when you go to college."

"Yes."

"Tell me, how would you like it if I paid your boss at the country club to fire you, just so you could come work for me at The Sun? Would it matter that I did it because I know a job in journalism would be better for you than working at the country club?"

"No, because it's not your choice." As soon as the words crossed her lips, she knew understood Todd's point…and Matthew's…and Jack's. "I get it."

"Yeah, you do. The job at The Sun is yours…if you want it."

"What? I thought you were just making a point."

"Why would I do that? Do I look like Bill Cosby to you? I'll double whatever you get at the Country Club."

Destiny thought she was hearing wrong. "Why do you want me to work for you?"

"Because you're not afraid of me. Oh, by the way, if you say, "no." I probably will pay your boss to fire you. You and I are both people who take action."

A million responses began to form in Destiny's brain. They ranged from outrage to appreciation. Before she spoke, she saw Jack running over from the sidelines. She excused herself from Todd and ran to where Jack was standing.

"Hey," Jack greeted her. Part of him was still angry; most of him was just glad she was there.

"Hey," Destiny glanced back at Todd sitting on the bleachers, now barking orders to someone on his phone. She looked back at Jack. "JJ, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said the stuff I said to your dad." She did her best to look sincere and apologetic. Part of her wanted to smile because Jack looked adorable in his uniform. She particularly liked the black streaks beneath his eyes.

"No, you shouldn't have…but, it's not like I can stay mad at you." He took her hand. "Where were you when I called you earlier?"

"I went to see Matthew."

"You what? Why?"

"It's a long story."

"Manning," the coach yelled. "Stop sweet-talking your girlfriend and get your butt over here."

Jack was torn. He needed to do what Coach Gibson told him to do, but he also wanted to hear why his girlfriend was with her ex.

"Go." Destiny touched his hand. "Nothing happened with Matthew. We only talked. You and Ican talk about it after the game."

Jack nodded and then jogged off toward the team. He didn't start the game, but the coach put him in by the fifth play. While he was sitting on the bench, he imagined a hundred scenarios of what might have happened between Destiny and Matthew. His first play was third down. Chance threw a long pass to him. He dropped it. On fourth down, Chance went to Jack again with the same results, except this drop caused the other team to get the ball. As the offense walked to bench, Chance began to talk to him.

"Dude, we've made that play at least 10 times in practice."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Where's your head?"

Jack glanced at Destiny in the stands sitting next to his dad. That didn't help. He wondered when things started spinning out of control.

Chance slapped Jack's shoulder pads. "Hey, you worried about your girl? You go out and impress her. You get your head in the game and show her what you can do."

After four quick plays by the defense, Jack had his chance to show off his newfound football skills. He caught three balls and scored a touchdown. And though his dad would probably deny it, Jack could have sworn he heard him cheering. By the end of the game, he'd visited the end zone twice and Llanview High won the game.

During the game, Tea and Destiny walked together to the concession stand. Tea explained that she needed Destiny to testify about the ways Matthew changed after he shot Eddie Ford. Some of the testimony could get intense. She told Tea she would do whatever she needed to help Matthew.

When the game was over, Jack met his family and Destiny outside of the football stadium. He received hugs and congratulations from the family, while Destiny stood off to the side a bit.

Jack looked in Destiny's direction. "So, can I get a hug from my girl?"

"Do you even want one?" She asked.

It was a valid question. Over the last 24 hours, Destiny made Jack angrier than he could have even imagined. Still, he needed to have her near him on such an important day. "Yeah."

Destiny allowed Jack to envelop her in his arms. As they hugged Jack's family began to walk to their cars. The bulk of his gear kept a certain physical distance between them. Still, she was relieved that he still wanted her near.

"What are you thinking?" Jack whispered into her hair.

Destiny began to giggle.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I was thinking that you smelled better when you were a ball boy." Destiny burst into a fit of giggles.

"You don't like smelling my manliness?" Jack hugged her tighter.

"Ew!" She giggled. Turning her back, she began to walk away. As Jack called her name, she pretended not to hear him.

Jack began to laugh harder as he continue to call Destiny. "Come to me, my woman and bask in my manliness!"

Destiny broke into a playful run and Jack began to chase her. For a moment, Jack felt like he didn't have a care in the world. That feeling soon changed.

Destiny accompanied the Manning family back to their home so everyone could shower and change before they went to a late lunch at Capricorn. It seemed that the late lunch was going to turn into an early dinner when Todd got stuck on a phone call. Destiny and Dani emerged from her room freshly changed and remade. Dani wore a navy blue skirt and a lighter blue silk blouse. Destiny wore a cream-colored mini-dress with bell sleeves and a purple paisley print. She also wore her hair in an uncharacteristic ponytail.

She paused as she saw Jack. He looked so handsome in his cream sweater and khaki pants. Her feet would have taken her to him immediately, if he hadn't gotten to her first.

"You look great, Desi!" As Destiny wrapped her arms around Jack's waist, he kissed her.

"This is better." She sighed taking in the scent of his cologne. Then she settled in at his side.

Dani cooed at the two then asked where their father was. When Jack told her he was working, she vowed to go find him.

"Does he work nonstop all of the time?" Destiny asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because he wants me to work for him."

Jack had a hundred questions about how any of that came to be, but they had more important things to discuss. "We definitely need to talk about that before you make any decisions. But I'd rather talk about Matthew. What did you guys talk about?"

Destiny released her hold from Jack's waist and crossed the foyer's marble flooring until she stood in front of a fancy vase. She turned around to face Jack, only to find that he was a few inches away. "I told him I loved you," she said softly.

"You did?" Within his heart fluttered.

"And I told him I was going to testify at his sentencing hearing."

"You told him what? Destiny, I'm not going to let you do that."

"Let me? Jack, I'm afraid you don't have a choice."


	14. Chapter 14

_Hi all, I bet you thought I forgot about you. I didn't. I hope you didn't forget about this story. I've been super busy, but I tried to write a little each night. Matthew's world is getting better; Jack's is on its way to getting worse. Destiny is getting herself into a bit of conundrum. Hope you enjoy. I think I can wrap this us in three or four more chapters. And thank you for your kind and generous reviews._

**The Plan- Chapter 14**

Jack stared at Destiny for a few seconds after her announcement that she was going to testify on Matthew's behalf and there was nothing he could do to keep her from doing it. He was ticked off. He also knew she was ticked that he said he wouldn't let her testify. Jack never dreamed that he would have to compete with Matthew even before he got out of the hospital.

"So, you're just going to stand there and not say anything?" Destiny stared at Jack with disbelief.

Jack sighed. If he said what he wanted to say, he would spark an argument that might spiral into World War III. He'd grown up in a household where those sparks resulted in multiple divorces…often from the same person. And although he was angry with Destiny, the last thing he wanted to do was cause her to walk away. "What do you want me to say, Desi?"

"I want you to acknowledge that even though you're my boyfriend, you don't get to make choices for me."

"Unbelievable!" Throwing his hands in the air, Jack turned his back to her and walked toward the patio door. Then he turned and walked back toward her, when he was a few inches from her he spoke again. "So, let me get this right, it's okay for you to tell my dad that I'm playing football…even though I specifically asked you not to—"

"I already told you that I am sorry about that, JJ, but I did it because I didn't want you and your dad to be at each other's throats."

"So, you did it because you didn't want me to get hurt?"

"Exactly."

"Do you think that might be why I don't want you to testify for Matthew? Maybe I don't want you to get hurt."

"How am I going to get hurt testifying for Matthew?"

Jack touched her cheek. "Have you forgotten that I saw the way he treated you just before you broke up? Do you remember how many tears he made you cry? Do you really want to relive that?"

"Of course not, but Matthew is a good guy and he's my friend. I have to do whatever I can to make sure he doesn't go to prison. I would want…wait, I do want Neela to do the same for you…even if she is your ex-girlfriend."

"Desi, it's not the same. Neela and I can barely stand each other. But everyone knows the story of you and Matthew. You loved him for years. He's your best friend. You stood by him through paralysis. He was the reason you and Darren broke up."

"No, he wasn't." Destiny was shocked.

"Well, everyone at school thinks so."

"And you're my boyfriend. You're supposed to believe me…not everyone else in school. Besides, I love _you_, Jack. You don't have to go all caveman and _try_ to tell me that I can't testify for Matthew or that I can't see him."

Jack sighed loudly. "You plan on seeing him again, too?"

"Maybe."

"Can we at least talk about it…or did you already promise Matthew you were going to visit him, too?"

"I didn't tell Matthew I was going to visit…and I didn't exactly tell him I would testify. I meant to say I told Tea I was going to testify and I planned to tell Matthew I was going to do it, too. I haven't made up my mind about visiting him, but I can tell he needs a friend."

"Do you have to be that friend?"

"I've always been in the past."

Jack's voice grew soft. "That was before you and I were together."

Destiny just sighed loudly. It s obvious neither she nor Jack wanted to argue. Still, neither was exactly pleased with each other. So, they simply stood and stared at each other until Todd informed them that it was time to go.

The rest of the Manning clan, specifically Blair, Starr and Hope, joined Todd, Tea, Dani, Sam, Jack and Destiny at Capricorn. Everyone was in a celebratory mood…except for Destiny and the guest of honor.

The mood shifted a bit when Matthew's brother, David and Jack's great-aunt Dorian walked into Capricorn. Though Destiny had always known it, this was the first time that it hit her that Jack and Matthew had a familial connection. It extended beyond David and Dorian, too. Jack's Aunt Vicki had been married to both Matthew's Uncles Clint and Ben. Jack's cousins Kelly and Adriana were also married to Buchanans. Destiny wondered how often the familial connection would affect she and Jack. Would she have to spend holidays in the same room with both Jack and Matthew?

Destiny began to wonder whether her fight with Jack and/or seeing Matthew hit her harder than she expected because her mind was running in a million directions. It didn't help that at the first chance David got he pulled her to the club's terrace and began to speak with her about Matthew.

She marveled that although Matthew and David's personalities were as different as night and day, David looked like Matthew plus twenty-five years. It didn't make things any easier.

David began without greetings or pleasantries. "I heard you went to see Matthew."

Destiny simply nodded. Although her friendship with David extended beyond any relationship she had with Matthew, she didn't want to talk about Matthew now, not on Jack's big day.

"Matthew wants you back. You know that, right?" David blurted.

"Is that what he told you?"

"He didn't have to. He's my brother. I know him…and you're my BFF. I know you, too."

Destiny spoke without hesitation. "David, I'm with Jack. I love him. And Matthew doesn't need to be involved with anyone right now. He needs to focus on getting better."

"No Destiny, what he needs is you."

"And I'll be there for him as a friend." She crossed her arms in front of her. "Can't you just drop it?"

"How am I supposed to drop it? You and Matthew are meant to be together. Remember when you dragged me to London to rescue Matthew from boarding school? All you wanted to do was get to him so you could tell him you loved him."

_And when I got there, I found him with Dani, she thought to herself. _ It had always been that way with Matthew. She lay open her heart and he rejected her for someone else. Jack, on the other hand, looked at her as if she was the only girl in the world.

"David, that was a long time ago."

"Maybe, but love doesn't just go away. It's why Dorian and I keep finding our way back to each other."

Jack, who had been listening from around the corner, decided he couldn't take anymore. He walked up to the two and placed his arm around Destiny's waist. He also fixed an intense stare on his "great uncle" David. "I think my Aunt Dorian is looking for you."

"David, please go?" Destiny pleaded. Though David was her friend, she just wanted him to go right now.

"Fine. I'll go, but don't expect Matthew to go away so easily." David left without another word.

As soon as he was out of sight, Destiny wrapped her arms around Jack's torso. Pressing her chin into his chest, she looked up at him as she tried to gauge how much David's words had upset him. "I know you were listening, but you don't have anything to worry about."

"That's not what David thinks."

"David is living in the past."

"And Matthew is walking right into the middle of our present."

Destiny took Jack's hands in hers. "He's only as a friend…one who has been there for me in the past. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't help him."

Jack wanted to argue, but while he was looking at her, he got lost in her big, brown eyes and her flawless chocolate skin. Part of him wondered if she'd ever had a blemish. He seriously doubted she had. His voice softened, "Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

"Not really." She pulled Jack's hands behind her back, which caused him to hold her tightly. "But you can stand by me while I do what I need to do….just like you did when you and I became friends."

"Yeah, look where that got me." He kissed her.

"I like where that got you." She kissed him back.

Soon they were so engrossed in their kisses that they didn't hear the not so subtle clearing of Todd's throat. "Hey, get some air before you make me a grandfather."

"You're already a grandfather." Jack smirked.

"Knock it off." Todd snapped. "And if you're going to keep making out, get out here and do it in front of Vickers. It'll drive him up the wall." With that, Todd bounced off the terrace and back into the party.

"Your dad is nuts." Destiny giggled.

"Yeah, just wait until you have to work for him." He kissed her forehead. "How did that happen anyway?"

"I'm not sure." She laughed. "But he's paying me a fortune and it's going to look great on my college applications."

"You'll be sorry." Jack teased her. "Still, you won't have to work at the club anymore and deal with the idiots who like to give you a hard time. And I'm pretty sure he'll let you off for dances or special occasions. So, you could have worse jobs."

Jack took Destiny by the hand and started back toward the party. Destiny stopped him.

"Are we okay?"

"Yeah."

And even though, Jack smiled when he answered, Destiny suspected things would get more difficult before they got easier. "Promise me you won't ever give up on me."

"I promise."

A few days later, Tea asked Destiny to come by her office so she could prepare her for the sentencing hearing. She asked Destiny tough questions about the way Matthew was different while he was hiding the truth about Eddie Ford. She even asked about whether she and Matthew had been intimate and if so, how often. She explained that his increased sexual desires might have been a side effect of the PTSD. His moodiness, irritability and his desire for seclusion certainly were. Talking about Matthew's behavior during that time made Destiny feel numb. When Tea told her that she might have to talk about it all over again in front of a courtroom where anyone could be present upset her more. She wasn't sure she could do it.

Destiny was almost surprised when she found herself at Matthew's room in the hospital. But after an intense hour with Tea, she had doubts about whether she could testify and she had to let Matthew know.

"You're here." Matthew greeted her with a smile.

Destiny walked into the middle of the room and began to pace. "I had to come. I'm all over the place. I feel sick. Tea asked me about stuff that I'm not sure I can talk about…especially, not in front of everyone. I had to tell her about what you were like when we were together…"

Matthew's smile faded. He touched her arm to stop her from pacing. "Did I hurt you? I mean, I didn't think I did…"

"You didn't. " She forced herself to look at him. "But I'm not surprised you had to ask what happened. There were times when we were having sex that you seemed so hollow. It was like the Matthew I knew wasn't even there. I felt so alone both during and after. I should have told you that I really didn't want to be with you when you were that way." Destiny looked down at her feet. "I hate that I was so weak."

Matthew lifted her chin with his hand. "No. I never should have taken advantage of you. I knew you loved me and you would do anything for me. Des, I'm so sorry." He took her hands in his own. "I was so messed up after everything happened. Being around you was the only time I didn't feel like I was going to lose it. If I could go back and do things all over again, I would never let my uncle hide what I did to Eddie and I would never have put you in the middle of everything."

"I should have figured out something was wrong with you sooner. "

"Des," Matthew's smile returned. "You're the only reason I'm not still walking around in a daze. "You saved me. That's why you don't need to save me by testifying. You've already given me a second chance." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just knowing that you don't hate me is more than I deserve. You don't hate me, do you?"

"Of course not. I could never hate you." She looked at the way Matthew was staring at her and decided it might be a good time to say goodbye. "But, I should go. And since you say I've already saved you once. I guess I have to do my best to make sure it wasn't for nothing."

"What are you saying?"

"I'll testify." She touched her hand to his cheek and then walked out of the door.

The morning of Matthew's sentencing hearing, Destiny showed up ready to bare her soul and the intimate details of her personal life in front of the judge and most of her friends. She asked, no pleaded with Jack not to come to the courtroom. He reluctantly agreed, though she half expected him to be there, lurking around some corner. Then, miracle of miracles, the prosecutor walked over to Tea and they began whispering. After 20 minutes, they'd worked out a plea agreement that sentenced Matthew to probation and allowed him to attend outpatient therapy as soon as a doctor deemed he was healthy enough.

Later that afternoon, when Destiny told Jack about the latest developments, he managed to plaster a smile on his face. He hated how much Matthew's impending freedom thrilled her, but he was glad she didn't have to testify…especially since Dani convinced him not to go to the hearing against Destiny's wishes. He peppered her with questions about when Matthew would be released, but she told him she didn't know when it would happen. He spent the next week worrying about endless scenarios where he ended up in prison for killing Shane's mom and Matthew got back with Destiny. At least, he hoped it would take some time before Matthew was released.

Jack didn't get his wish. Less than two weeks after the sentencing hearing, as Jack was talking to Destiny outside of her first period class, the class that happened to be by his locker, Jack got the worst news of his life: Matthew was back.

"Hey Des!" Matthew said, brightly.

Within seconds Destiny was in Matthew's arms, hugging him. Jack badly wanted to punch a locker.

"I'm so glad you're back." Destiny hugged Matt even tighter.

"Yeah, me too." Matthew smiled at her and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She reacted by taking a step back. So Matthew asked her, "Are you ready for class?"

"Yes! Then you can tell me why I didn't know you would be back today." Destiny beamed. "Jack, I'll see you in Spanish." She hugged him awkwardly. Before Jack could kiss her goodbye, she moved into the classroom.

As the bell rang, Jack stood frozen. He wondered if this was a sign of things to come. And then, he wondered how he could put a stop to it.


	15. Chapter 15

_Well, I know it's been way too long. I was in a funk for the last month and couldn't write ANYTHING! I hope you still want to know what happens. In this chapter, Destiny deals with her conflicting feelings about Matthew and Jack (sort of), Jack digs himself in a deeper hole and Matthew faces some of his past sins. Next chapter, Jack's past and his legal woes take front and center. I hope you enjoy._

**The Plan – Chapter 15**

"I don't know what you see in that guy." Matthew stated matter-of-factly as he grabbed a fry off of Destiny's plate. The two of them sat in the crowded cafeteria without Shane and Neela, who had snuck off for some alone time. With football playoffs approaching, the coach called the team in for a lunchtime meeting.

"That guy, as in my boyfriend, Jack?" Destiny smacked his hand as he reached for a second fry. "You know the one who was holding my hand and looking after me while you were going through?"

"He only did it so he could get in your pants." Matthew mumbled. He then began pushing a left over crust of bread around his plate with his fork. "Besides," his voice grew soft, "I've already apologized for that, Des." He never lifted his eyes from his plate.

"I know you have." Destiny placed her hand on Matthew's. She knew in her heart he was a good person and she felt bad for the hard time he was having. Still, she'd seen the toll Matthew's presence back at school was taking on Jack. So, she decided that she would have to start helping him get used to the idea that she and Jack were together now. "You're all wrong about Jack, though. He's been a perfect gentleman _and_ the perfect boyfriend."

"Yeah, but he's not me." Matthew stared at her practically without blinking. "You know what we mean to each other Des."

Across the cafeteria, Jack's blood began to boil as he watched Destiny and Matthew alone at a table, practically holding hands. She must have felt him watching her because she quickly moved her hand from Matt's. Matters only got worse as Chase walked up beside him. Because Chase was just about Jack's height he could speak to Jack quietly without Jack needing to lean over to hear.

"Looks like the star-crossed lovers are going to be reuniting soon."

Jack knew Chase was referencing the play, Star-crossed Lovers, which Destiny and Matthew were cast in the year before and in which they first kissed. And yet, he knew that if he gave Chase even the slightest inkling that Matthew's proximity to Destiny bothered him, Chase would never let him live it down.

"They're friends. They have been forever. It's no big deal."

"Yeah, but if it's anything like before, their friendship comes with benefits."

"Whatever." Jack shrugged even though he hated what Chase was implying.

Chase began to laugh. "Oh my gosh, she never told you that she let Matthew hit it."

"Shut it, Chase or you won't be able to throw a pass for the rest of the playoffs. Besides, how do you know what Destiny was or wasn't doing with Matt? Are you just trying to start some stuff?"

"Calm down, Jacky. Taylor told me. She aid Matthew told her himself. Besides, as long as you are keeping Destiny satisfied. You've got nothing to worry about."

Jack gave Chase a disgusted look and then he stormed over to the table where Matthew and Destiny were sitting. "Destiny, I need to talk to you. Now."

"Oh look, it's Prince Charming," Matthew snarked at Jack's arrival.

"Why don't you shut it, Buchanan?" Jack's voice was loud enough for the cafeteria to hear. It was bad enough Matthew's mouth had people talking about Destiny behind her back.

"Why don't you make me?" Matthew's voice matched Jack's in intensity as he stood up.

"Stop it!" Destiny yelled. She looked at Jack first then to Matthew. Jack rolled his eyes as Shane walked up. He suspected that Shane was thrilled that Matthew was going to take his girl. It wasn't fair. Destiny was all he had.

"I can't believe you're taking his side." Jack yelled. This time he directed his anger at Destiny. "Do you even know _who_ you are defending?"

"I'm not taking his side. And you need to calm down." Destiny snapped back at Jack. When she saw the smirk on Matthew's face, she lowered her voice. "We need to go."

Destiny grabbed Jack by the hand and pulled him toward the door of the cafeteria. She dragged him into the first empty classroom she saw. "What is your problem?" She said each word sharply as if it was it's own sentence.

"My problem is my girlfriend was sitting in the cafeteria practically making out with her ex-boyfriend."

"I was not!" Destiny was so angry that she felt the water begin to rise to the brims of her eyelids.

"So you weren't holding hands just before I got there?"

"No Jack, we weren't. I touched his hand because I was telling him something he didn't want to hear."

"Like what?"

"Like how much you mean to me. And how you are the perfect boyfriend…you didn't exactly help my credibility with that little performance you just gave."

"Tell me what I'm supposed to do Destiny. Everything has changed since Matthew's been back. He's always around. And people are talking about how you and Matthew…"

"How me and Matthew what?" Destiny arched her eyebrow defensively.

And though Destiny looked angry, he knew she would be horrified if she knew people were talking about how she and Matthew hooked up before he was gone. So, he decided not to tell her. "They're always talking about how you guys belong together."

"Stop listening to other people!" She practically yelled. "Listen to me when I tell you how much _you_ mean to me."

"You can say that as much as you want, but how am I supposed to feel when I see you all over him."

"I wasn't all over him, JJ. " Destiny took Jack's hands in hers. "I'm just trying to be his friend."

Jack pulled his hands away. "Yeah well, with the playoffs and court, maybe you need to focus a little more on being my girlfriend." He stormed out of the classroom and slammed the door behind him.

That evening, Dani stopped by Destiny's house. When she arrived in Destiny's bedroom she found her sitting on her bed in tears.

"Des, what's wrong? Did Jack do something to make you cry?"

Destiny wiped the tears from her eyes. "Can I talk to you as my best friend and not Jack's sister?"

"Of course, Des. What's going on?"

"Jack and I had a huge argument. He's jealous of my friendship with Matthew. "

"Does he have reason to be?"

Destiny twisted her mouth into a frown. "Of course not. Matthew and I are friends. Very good friends who have been through a lot together. I can't walk away from him after all he's been through."

Dani stared at Destiny for a minute without speaking. "Des, how would you feel if Jack decided that he needed to help an ex-girlfriend get used to Llanview High and the whole time he was showing her around everyone talked about their history?"

"People are talking about me and Matthew?"

"Duh, this is high school." Dani shook her head to illustrate her disgust with teenaged gossip. "Of course Jack is going to be upset."

"I thought you were talking to me as my best friend." Destiny sighed. She pulled her legs in tightly to her body and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"I am. And I'm on your side. I heard about Jack's little temper tantrum. I totally expected to come in and blast Jack's behavior. " Dani joined her on the bed. "But Des, I've been where Jack was. I heard whispers about you and Matt when I started dating him and it's part of the reason I ran straight to Nate. " Dani touched her friend's hand. "It's a good thing I did because you and Matt got together a year later."

"And it was a train wreck. I didn't like myself very much when Matthew and I were together. I did things that I talked smack about other girls for doing. But with Jack, things are great…at least they were great…"

"Until Matthew came back?"

"Yes and I feel like I'm being pulled apart. I've been honest with Matthew about what Jack means to me. And I told Jack what I said, but he's still mad at me."

"Maybe instead of telling Jack, you need to show him."

"Dani," Destiny blushed, "Jack and I are not ready to have sex."

"Ew," Dani shook off an imaginary chill. "That's not what I meant. And if you ever decide you are ready to have sex with _my brother_, please think of me as Jack's sister and not your bestie, ok?"

Destiny chuckled. "Ok, so what do you mean?"

"I mean before Matthew came back, you and Jack held hands all of the time. You even kissed him in public."

"It's weird kissing Jack in front of Matthew." Destiny sighed. Still, as she looked at Dani, she remembered that Matthew had no problem kissing Dani in front of her.

"Why? Is it because you still have feelings for Matthew?"

Destiny let her feet drop to the floor and she began to pace. "Dani, don't you get it? Matthew's been through so much. The last few months of it, when he was confined, are completely my fault."

"Des, that's not true."

"It doesn't matter. Besides why should I rub the way I feel about Jack in Matthew's face when I've already told him how I feel about Jack?"

"Because for the first time since I've known you, maybe you need to be more concerned about what you need than what Matthew you needs. If Matthew is truly your friend, he is going to accept and respect your choices…just like you've always done for him."

Destiny fell backward on her bed. "When did life get so complicated?"

After football practice, Jack went straight to the health club. He put on some boxing gloves and immediately went to the heavy bag, where he imagined Matthew's face every time he punched. Buchanan was the last thing he needed with the upcoming court proceedings. So, he decided to take it out on the bag,

"Great." Shane's voice came from somewhere behind him. He turned and saw Shane looking at him with great disgust.

"As if my day wasn't bad enough," Jack muttered to himself. "What do you want Morasco? You want to gloat about your cousin Matthew coming back and stealing Destiny from me?"

Shane smirked. "As much as I wish that was possible, no. I'm here to ask you to not let Matthew coming back turn you into the jerk you were before he left." Jack stared at Shane blankly. So, Jack continued on, "Look, I don't expect us to be friends…I don't even want us to be. But you were decent before and you made Destiny happy. So try not to blow it and make me sorry that I even gave you half a chance or that I'm considering telling the judge to go easy on you."

Jack watched as Shane walked away. He was stunned at Shane's words. Part of him knew he should be grateful, but ever since Chance taunted him in the cafeteria, he couldn't get the idea of Matthew and Destiny out of his head. He tried to think things through. Something was off. How did Chance know about Matthew and Destiny sleeping together before Matthew was busted? Although Matthew had loudmouthed his sister's personal business in front of a gym full of people, he knew what Matthew felt for Destiny ran deeper. He doubted that he would tell just anyone that they were sleeping together. And then…it hit him.

The next morning in school, Jack practically raced to find Matthew. He tapped him on the shoulder and greeted him.

"What do you want, Jack?"

"To tell you to stay away from my girlfriend." Jack took a step closer to Matthew.

"Or what?" Matthew stared at him without backing away.

Jack lowered his voice, but kept his eyes fixed on Matthew. "Or else I'll tell her that you were sleeping with Taylor the whole time the two of you were together. " It was just a well-formulated guess on Jack's part. Taylor was the only way Chase could have known about Matthew and Des. The dumbfounded look on Matthew's face convinced him he was right. "Aren't you going to deny it?"

"Why should I? And why should I care if you tell her? Des knows I was in a really bad place before and she's forgiven me."

"Really? So, you've told her about you and Taylor? And she knows that because of what you told Taylor when you were screwing around with her, Chase is now telling anyone who will listen that Des was sleeping with you."

"He's what?"

"Yeah. You proud of yourself?"

"No, I never meant for Destiny to get hurt."

"Then leave her alone." Jack said softly. "You and I both know that if I tell her what you did; not only will you lose any hope of _ever_ getting her back, she'll never talk to you again."

Jack was staring so hard at Matthew that he didn't hear Destiny approach.

"Jack, Matthew, what are the two of you talking about?"

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to stare at Matthew. "Well Matthew, are you going to tell her or should I?"


	16. Chapter 16

_**SURPRISE! Hi all, I'm back after a very long hiatus. Thank you so much for the reviews that brought me out of retirement. I was gone because I became very undisciplined in my writing and I just sort of gave this story up. I'm back. I know where the story's going and I promise that it won't be so long between updates. Thanks again for your support. Love you-K.**_

**The Plan – 16**

"Tell me what?" Destiny looked between Matthew and Jack. She wondered what secret they had between them. When neither of them spoke, she decided that she had no desire to be in the middle of teenaged testosterone. "You know what, I don't want to know." She slipped her hand into Jack's. "JJ, why don't you walk me to class. Matthew, I'll see you at lunch."

"Yea, sure." Matthew said, flatly. Then he turned and walked away.

Destiny could tell that something was off. Still, in her heart she felt Dani had a point about her spending too much time being concerned about Matthew. She turned to face Jack.

"So, I've been want to tell you something."

"What's that?"

Destiny began to speak so quietly that her voice was barely above a whisper. As Jack began to lean closer to hear her, she stood on her toes, snaked her arms around his neck and engaged him in a kiss. When they finally broke for air, Jack couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Did I miss something?" Jack wondered what caused Destiny to be so affectionate at school of all places, especially given the current state of their relationship.

"Like what?"

"Like…I thought we were in the middle of an argument. You didn't return my calls yesterday."

She smiled at him. "I didn't return your calls because you were a jerk yesterday."

Part of him was afraid that his temper tantrum about Matthew would drive her away from him. Yet, here she was acting the same way she did before Matt came back to school. Jack looked at Destiny as though she'd grown a third eye. "I was a jerk and I'm sorry."

Destiny smiled at his apology. "I knew you would apologize." She slipped her hand into Jack's and interlaced their fingers. "Ask me how I knew."

Jack took her other hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "How did you know I was going to apologize, Desi?"

"Because since the moment we started dating, you have been the perfect boyfriend."

His mind flashed back to the bet with Chase that caused him to pursue Destiny in the first place. And then there was the fact that he was blackmailing her ex-boyfriend to stay away from her. "Desi, I'm hardly perfect. In fact, I'm about the farthest thing from it."

"Trust me, I know _you're _not perfect, but, you _are_, the perfect boyfriend…especially for me. You are attentive, supportive and honest—"

The guilt was starting to eat Jack alive. He interrupted Destiny's steady stream of compliments. "Yeah, before you go making me a saint, there are some things I should tell you."

Destiny pulled her arms behind her back, which had the effect of causing Jack's arms to envelop her. She stared into his big, green eyes, which were focused solely on her. "Sounds serious. Did you hurt someone?"

"No." He paused for a moment as he thought of how angry Destiny would be when she learned what Chase had been saying about her or when he learned that he knew Matthew cheated on her or worst of all, when she learned that he was blackmailing Matthew to stay away from her. "Not yet."

"Not yet? How about you decide not to hurt whoever it is that you think you might hurt and instead we focus on getting back to where we were before Matthew came back?"

"What if we can't?"

"Do you love me?"

"Yeah." Jack bit his lip. It was something he did whenever he got shy. Destiny found it completely adorable.

"Then we can get through this."

"I hope you're right."

Three weeks later, Jack was on top of the world. The football team had made it to and won the state championship game. Thanks to three passes that led to touchdowns, Jack had become the toast of the Llanview High. Thanks to their little deal, Matthew had kept his distance from Destiny. He and Destiny were back on track. They were back to spending most of their spare minutes of every day together.

Still, things weren't perfect. Chance didn't seem to appreciate Jack's natural football talent or the popularity that came from it, even if Chance was the one who encouraged Jack to play in the first place. As a result, Chance had mentioned to more than one of their teammates that Destiny and Matt had been friends with benefits. When Jack challenged Chance about it, Chance would make vague threats that referenced the bet that brought he and Destiny together in the first place.

As much as Jack would like to just hate Chance, he realized Chance was probably a bit more on edge because Taylor kept showing up anywhere Matthew was likely to be. Now that Matthew couldn't spend time with Destiny, he seemed more than happy to spend as much time with Taylor as she was willing to give.

And then there was the court stuff with Shane. Because he had pled not guilty, at Tea's advice, there was going to be a trial. He could survive the trial, but he wondered how Destiny would hold up. Aside from Dani, her once close-knit group was destroyed. Shane and Neela sat exclusively with Matthew and his friends at lunch. Even outside of lunch when he had a chance to see Shane and Destiny talk, their conversations were awkward. He felt pretty guilty about it, since it was the whole reason for his plan to get back at Shane…and Matthew to a degree. He just never expected to fall so hard and so fast for Destiny. A trial would pull her even farther from her friends.

At least it was Saturday. And Christmas was only a week and a half away. He and Destiny planned to do some Christmas shopping for their families. Jack also hoped that he might get a chance to get some ideas for Christmas presents for Destiny. He'd just gotten out of the shower and changed into jeans and a sweater when he walked passed Dani's bedroom. He could have sworn that he heard Destiny's voice. Jack stood near the doorway and tried to listen.

"I hate him." Destiny was obviously upset. It took everything Jack had not to run into Dani's room and ask her what was wrong. Still, what if she was talking about him? "I just found out that everyone is talking about it. I saw two people tweeting about it. Then I went to Facebook and people had been commenting about it for a while. "

Jack's heart began to race. A million thoughts ran through his head. Had Chance started to spread the word about their bet? Worse yet, had he told Taylor? And had she told Matthew? Matthew would have loved to spread the news of what a jerk Jack was to everyone.

Dani spoke up. "Des, first of all, I think you're overreacting. The gossip will die down."

"Really, because it's already been three months and no one has forgotten about it." Destiny was practically yelling now. Her voice grew soft, "I can't believe Matthew would tell everyone that we were sleeping together. It's my fault. I knew it felt wrong almost every time we were together. But I just wanted him to love me as much as I loved him. "

Destiny felt the tears well in her eyes as she thought of the way she felt when she was with Matt. Dani pulled her into a hug and it wasn't long before Destiny started crying.

Destiny realized that Matt was going through a bad time then, but she felt so alone through so much of it. Suddenly, she felt a sudden pain in her heart. What if Jack found out? Would he be even more worried about losing her to Matthew? Would he hate her for not telling him?

She pulled away from Dani and began looking around frantically. "Dani, where's Jack?"

"I think he's in the shower."

Destiny took a step toward the door. Dani blocked her path. "Des, where are you going? You have to calm down."

"I have to find him before he hears it from someone else."

Jack stepped into his sister's bedroom. "Desi, I already know. I've known for a while."

"What? Oh my gosh, that's what you and Matthew were talking about. And you didn't tell me?" Destiny began to wipe her eyes. She was hurt and embarrassed and filled with a thousand other emotions she couldn't give a name.

Jack looked at Dani who was watching them both intently. Then he extended his hand to Destiny and led her to his room.

"I can't believe you knew and didn't tell me. I had a right to know."

"I know, but I wanted to protect you." Jack wiped Destiny's tears with his hands. "Knowing wouldn't change anything." He led her to his bed where they sat. He stroked her hair.

"Well, we could have talked about things."

"Like what?"

"Like why I was sleeping with Matthew when we were just friends. And why we still haven't …you know, even though we've been together for almost three months. It's not because I'm not attracted to you. I hope you know that."

Jack smiled and nodded.

"I just wanted to be sure that if we decided to go further that it was right for both of us." Destiny began to fight back tears again. "I really can't believe Matthew told everyone. Even if he never loved me, we were supposed to be friends. I feel so stupid." She started to sob.

Jack pulled her against his chest and kissed her forehead. She immediately felt safe. Jack attempted to think of ways to reassure her. If he told Destiny that Matthew had only told Taylor about him and Destiny and that Taylor later told Chase, it wouldn't make Destiny feel any better. Further, he had no desire to spark a confrontation between Destiny and Chase because it might cause Chase to want to tell Destiny about the bet.

Jack pulled away from Destiny so that he could look into her eyes. "Listen to me, Desi. I love you. Nothing that happened before matters. Ok?"

Destiny nodded slowly, while Jack hoped he could make his statement the truth. Every part of him wished he could go back and change the way he treated Shane, erase his role in Ms. Morasco's death and pursue Destiny without making that stupid bet.

Destiny wondered what made Jack so quiet. She took his hand in hers. "JJ, are you sure this doesn't change things between us?"

"I'm sure."

"I love you." She looked up, into his big green eyes.

"I love you more." He smiled. As he felt her snuggle into his side, he wondered how long he had before everything came crashing down around them.

_A/N: I know it was pretty Jestiny fluffy, but with Matthew treating Destiny so badly in the OLTL reboot, I really needed someone to be good to her. You have to know though, that this chapter is setting Jacky up for a big old fall. _

_By the way, thank you again for the reviews. I promise I'll be back soon._


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